When The Light Goes Out
by Soul-out-Fairy
Summary: Monique Leavings isn't very well adjusted to social interactions. She meets Barry during one of those awkward interactions. When they cross paths a second time and she finds him in distress, she throws in her lot with him. How far will she have to go- how far is she willing to go- in order to protect Kevin from himself?
1. Chapter 1

_Silence. Darkness. No sound. No light. Just focus on the wind in your hair...the brush of it against your face._ Nothing could ever prepare Monique for entering that place. No amount of mental or emotional preparation could hold her up the entire day. That's just not the way things worked in her world, sadly.

Monique opened her eyes and turned off the shower. She dried herself and dressed quickly before heading into the kitchen. It was already well past seven-thirty so she couldn't spend much time on breakfast. A cup of yogurt and a bagel was designated breakfast for that morning. She rushed out the door and to her car. Monique began her morning commute rather nervously today. It was a fair thirty minute drive to her workplace and she wished it was longer today. She had a horrible feeling about this work day. Something was going to go wrong.

She took a moment before getting out of her car to steady her nerves. A full two years had not adjusted her to the busy office life. Anyone who knew her could easily say that it was an odd choice to work for a newspaper when one had social anxiety. Hers was almost debilitating. It had been worse in high school and college, but she had gotten much better in her own opinion.

She took pictures for the newspaper. It kept her out of the office a bit but she had to talk to so many strangers.

"Do we have a picture from the scene?" the editor asked during a meeting.

Monique raised her hand without a word and he pointed to her. "Show me what you've got and we'll see what we can work with from there."

She nodded. As long as she didn't have to speak she usually felt a little better about interactions. That also usually kept interactions with her short. The reason for her unease went unsatisfied because her office hours went flawlessly- not a single issue. She recieved requests for more pictures others had a hard time getting just before leaving for the afternoon. As she made her way out to her car she couldn't help glancing about.

What was this feeling? Nothing had happened at work and she was hoping nothing would happen outside of it either. It was one of those days. She knew her next destination. Her car rang as her boyfriend's number came up on the face of her radio. She answerd it as she rolled up to a stop light.

"Hey, baby. What's going on?" she said.

"I'm just calling in to check on you," Terrence replied. "I just want to make sure you're doing okay today."

Monique smiled. _What did I do to deserve to find this man,_ she thought. "I'm fine, thank you. Today was one of the good days."

"Are you heading home?"

"No, I have a few pictures to grab and some researching to do for an assignment. I won't be back in until later this evening."

"Alright. I'll call you when I get done here. Maybe we can have a late dinner."

"I'd like that."

"Good. I'm looking forward to it. I'll see you later tonight, baby."

"Bye."

Monique sighed heavily and pulled into a parking space. The Philadelphia Zoo was a place where she could forget about her troubles for a few hours. It wasn't necessarily the quietest place or the most personal, not like the library or a parking lot, but she always felt more confident after a visit. At least once a month she came to visit when she was feeling really stressed about things. She walked in after purchasing a ticket and turned in happy circles before running further inside.

Of course she calmed herself and stuck her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Truthfully, watching those majestic animals stalk about in their habitats gave her a little confidence. It was sad seeing them in there but she could draw strength just from watching their powerful paws and claws strut about and their keen eyes keeping watch from their perches and hills. The sounds of happy children and chatter all around made her a little nervous but they were still the sounds of her happy place.

As Monique walked about the zoo she spotted a few employees in tan shirts. She loved her job at the newspaper despite what she went through physically just going in the first place, but she couldn't help wondering what it would be like to work near those gorgeous animals everyday. Monique couldn't help feeling a little jealous. She let herself wonder and gaze for about two hours, snapping a few pictures of the animals for leisure, before deciding it best to head out for work related photos.

The reason she was asked to get photos for other's articles wasn't because they were difficult to get, but because she was so good at it. She was aware of that as well and kept her head down all the more for it. As she walked about the city she stopped to take photos of the buildings. A few tasks called for business visits. Monique was reading one of the photo descriptions as she walked in search of the specified spot, completely ignoring her surroundings and strolled right through a slew of turned over trash. One of her purposeful steps went astray and she was sent backwards, throwing papers over her head as she hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Her camera slammed into her chest as she fell and she struggled to catch her breath as she slowly sat up. A person, apparently a man leaned into her line of sight. She couldn't have been more embarrassed if she tried. He was saying something but she was too busy trying to wish away the pain in her body.

"Can you hear me? You okay?" he asked again.

Monique couldn't look him in the eyes. "Y-yeah, I'm okay."

He offered a hand to help her up and she hesitantly took it. "That was nasty a fall," he said, a smile evident in his voice. "You sure you okay? Nothing's broken or-"

"I'm fine," Monique said as she knocked the trash from her clothes. Now she would smell like trash going into the business. She didn't have extra clothes nor time to go find any. Monique looked up at him then and tried to keep the frown from her face. Simply reflexive.

He had a nice face, soft features, to her eyes, and his eyes were lovely shade of blue. At least he didn't seem like a jerk. "I'm sorry, um, thank you." She took the papers he offered back to her and put them in her pocket.

"It's no problem," he said with a smile.

"I-I didn't mean to be so...you know..."

"Ah, no, no it's fine," he said with a chuckle. "As long as you're okay."

"Thank you."

"Yeah. I gotta go but you be careful. Keep a look out for trash cans."

Monique laughed nervously and nodded. He walked off in the direction she had come from and she sighed heavily before looking up at the building she was standing in front of. She took a second look at the paper once again and walked up the stairs. A few photos of one Dr. Fletcher and a comment on her work. As Monique ascended the staircase she realized that maybe tripping was the bad thing that was goind to happen that day. Her day was pretty much settled and she'd be heading home after the short interview so not much else worst could happen at that point.

Monique carefully pushed the rod of her earring into her pierced lobe then switched to the other. She was getting ready for dinner with Terrence. He had chosen an upscale place, which Monique was not a fan of. With all those people around and her nerves... Something was likely to go so wrong. She pinned her hair up and checked her dress over once more before walking back to her room to put on her heels.

There was a knock on her door and she rushed to answer it, checking herself just one more time before opening it. Terrence grinned down at her, as he had a whole two feet on her. "No matter what you wear it looks phenominal on you but that is the best thing I've seen you in yet," he said as he took her hand and placed a kiss gently to the back of it.

Monique invited him inside as she finished getting ready. "I just have to put my heels on and we can go," she said as she rushed back to her room.

Terrence sat on the couch and looked about the room. It just screamed Monique: landscape pictures on the far wall, some of her own pictures from around the city mingled between them, one large recliner and footrest and then the homely couch on which he sat. It was sadly basic but he knew that's the kind of woman Monique was. She did her best to put on a face outside but home was her safe place. The space was catered just for her and no one else. When she emerged with her purse over her shoulder he stood and walked her out.

The restaurant was just as crowded as she had imagined and she wasn't enjoying herself as much as she would have been if it were just the two of them, but she sucked it up. Terrence looked at her over the top of his wine glass. He did that alot, just watch her and smile.

"So, how was your day," he asked, placing his glass back on the table. "Did you get the photos you were after?"

Monique nodded. "It wasn't a problem." She wiped at the corners of her mouth. "On my way to get one of the photos I ended up falling in a pile of trash."

Terrence looked taken aback. "Are you okay? You didn't break anything or-"

"I'm fine," she said waving off his concern. "I'm not usually like that but I was distracted I guess."

"I know you, you jump at shadows," he commented before taking another sip of wine.

Monique rolled her eyes. It was annoying but she couldn't argue that point. She was easily frightened and has jumped at her own shadow more than once. How she survived this long without having a heartattack was beyond her.

After dinner they went for a light stroll. Monique leaned her head onto Terrence's arm as they walked. They walked past the zoo's gates, neither one paying much attention to it. On their way back, about thirty minutes later, there was someone there leaning against the bars of the gate shaking his head. Terrence pulled her close but she wouldn't let him move.

"Wait..." she squeezed his arm.

"Come on Mo', before something bad happens," he whispered, pulling her along. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

As they walked around the distressed individual, he turned his head and Monique got a clear view of his face. She recognized him from earlier that day. The trash can. _Yeah. I gotta go but you be careful, keep a look out for trash cans._ Something within her pulled hard at her chest and sent her stomach into knotts. He had helped her just earlier that day but she was going to leave him there to suffer alone. He could have been hurt.

She was silent for the remainder of the night until Terrence dropped her off at home. "Why do you look so worried?" he asked with a smile. "Everything's fine."

"The man at the zoo... He helped me today." She looked up at him as if for reassurance.

He sighed. "I'm sure he's fine- probably just had a rough night. Get some rest and forget about it. He's probably at home by now anyhow."

She nodded. They shared a kiss then parted ways. Monique closed the door behind herself and just stood for a few minutes. When she heard Terrence's departure she took a deep breath and went to her room. She changed out of her dress into a more manueverable outfit and went back out.

Monique hated to go outside after dark- under no circumstances other than a date would she even consider it- but tonight she was running as fast as her legs would take her back to the zoo. The only thing in her mind was to not stop running no matter what. She almost ran into the zoo gates while trying to stop. Whether she was relieved or troubled, the guy wasn't there. "Maybe he did go home," she thought aloud. She rested herself a few minutes before walking back home and falling into bed.

A/N: Hello and thank you for reading this first chapter. This chapter is more of an introduction to the OC but there will be more Barry as the story progresses. This is not my first fanfiction, but it is my first live-action based fanfiction. I usually stick to anime so please do let me know if something reads weird or not. Comments are always appreciated and hopefully you'll be hanging out with me for my first movie fiction.


	2. Chapter 2

Monique took to loitering around the psychiatrist's on her lunch break. She had seen him standing on the steps after tripping the other day. Since that day she had walked by, trying to make the same time as when she saw him first, but he was never there. She had been doing this for a week now and some people were starting to recognize her and wave whenever they saw her. Monique stood as long as she could before starting back the way she had come. What would she even say to the man if she saw him? He was still a stranger to her after all.

Looking up from her watch she found herself staring right into the face of said stranger. Monique froze, her nerves instantly stopping her in her tracks. He smiled at her and walked hurriedly past. He was going up the stairs before she found her voice again and turned around.

"Trash guy!" He stopped and looked at her, confusion plain on his face. "No! I mean, you helped me when I fell the other day."

The light of realization shone in his eyes and he smiled at her. "Yeah, yeah I remember you. Um, I can't really-"

"I know, I'm not going to keep you I-I just... I saw you the other night outside the zoo. I was out with my boyfriend and we walked by and..." She was feeling more and more like combusting instantaneously with each word. "A-Are you okay? I couldn't do anything at that time because of him- I mean, my boyfriend but I-I wanted to make sure you were okay."

His expression softened and he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Everything's fine now. Thanks."

She went up to him and handed him a piece of paper. "If you ever need anything just, um, you can call me or text or whatever. My name's Monique, by the way." She smiled nervously.

"Barry," he said shaking her hand. "Well, I got an appointment to keep. I'll see you around, Monique?"

"Yeah, same. I have work too so..." She turned and walked briskly away, clutching her blouse as her heart pounded painfully beneath her skin. Why did it hurt so much just to interact? She didn't hate people, but it was just too draining interacting. She glanced at her watch again before running back to work.

Thinking back on it now, why had she given her number away to the stranger? I mean, Barry. She sat at her desk staring at a spread she had taken the pictures for a while back. It was impulse. She had wanted to feel like she was doing something...something to help. She was scared that night when they had been walking. They weren't friends or anything, but they had interacted.

It was so painful, both physically and emotionally, that she had filed him away in the back of her mind as someone she "knew". She didn't know him. She knew nothing about this man. Monique sat at her desk rubbing her aching forehead as all of these thoughts cycled over and over in her mind. Terrence was going to be so upset if she told him. Regardless, everytime her phone vibrated in her pocket she snatched it out and glared at the screen.

After work she thought to make a stop at the zoo, she had certainly stressed herself out enough to warrant it. The only reason she didn't go that day was because she had gone just last week...and it made her think about Barry. She went home instead, switched into her comfortable clothes and laid about the house. She was glad she lived outside the city, less outside noise and all that. Her phone rang and she grabbed it, shoving it to her ear. "Hello?"

 _"Hey baby,"_ Terrence replied. _"Everything okay?"_

She sighed heavily, going limp in the recliner. "Yeah, everything's fine," she replied. "I was just relaxing at home."

"It's good you're home," he said. _"Too much action and you look on the brink of exploding."_

Monique giggled. "The sad part is you're right about that. That's why I'm at home. What about you?"

She could hear papers shuffling around. _"I'm always at work. I live here, you know that."_ He chuckled. _"But I was calling to see how you were doing. You seemed upset last night."_

"I-I'm over it now, it's fine," Monique replied. "I can't let it distract me from work, I'm nervous enough without distractions."

 _"That's my baby. Keep pushing on even if you want to explode. I love you."_

"Yeah, yeah," she laughed. "I love you too. Now get back to work. You can't use me as an excuse if you get yelled at."

 _"Even when I'm not talking to you, you're a distraction,"_ he replied.

Monique smiled and rolled her eyes. "Focus, focus. If I can do it so can you."

 _"Alright," he chuckled. "I'll call you later, okay?"_

"Okay, bye."

 _"Bye baby."_

She ended the call and dropped her arm as if it weighed a hundred pounds. Just as she was relaxing into the chair her phone vibrated and she sat up again. A text from an unknown number. Her eyes widened and she jumped up out of the chair to began pacing the room. She read it as she paced.

 _"Hey, I wanted to say thank you for caring about me even though I'm a stranger to you. It means a lot."_

Monique smiled to herself. _You helped me when I fell so I just wanted to offer my hand to help you._

She waited but it wasn't long before another text arrived. " _Thank you. Monique. Can I ask you a question?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"The way you were dressed the day we met was not at all flattering for you. Do you dress like that all the time?"_

Monique's hands shook as she communicated with him for the next thirty minutes. Somehow the conversation turned to fashion and apparently she was not dressing her body in a flattering way. Let's not even talk about the worn styles and shades she was sporting. He had to go back to work but he did promise her that they would figure something out for her because what she was doing wasn't going to fly.

After that she felt a lot better and rather drained. She fell asleep right after they said their goodbyes.

The buzzing of her phone woke her back up a few hours later. Monique stretched her back and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She looked at the screen and was surprised to see Barry's number again. " _What are you wearing right now?"_

She hesitated before replying, " _Shorts and a tank."_

 _"Where are you?"_ Immediate reply.

 _"I'm at ?"_

 _"Would you send me pictures of your clothes?"_

This last line gave her pause. She was starting to think he was kind of interesting but now he was asking for pictures. Perhaps she judged him too early? Had she seriously given away her number to some creep? Monique nervously responded, " _I don't feel comfortable sending pictures."_

 _"No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. Here, I'll send you some pictures of a few pieces and you tell me which ones you like."_

That's how it all started. He had given her positive interaction and she wanted to give him emotional support. It had been a little overbearing just to approach him and she had felt dizzy afterwards and her head pounded and her legs felt weak and she was short of breath. She took the risk, reached out to a stranger; regardless, it was worth it because he had reached back.

* * *

A/N: Wednesday will be my update day as it is on Wattpad as well. The chapters will obviously vary in length, some being longer than other, but always over 1,000 words. My longest fic here is 14 chapters and this one is already about to surpass that. I'm going for length with this story so I hope that you all will stick with me through the end. I really liked this movie for multiple reasons so I want to do it justice with this fic and something different from the other stories I've read so far for this fandom(?). Comments are so very much appreciated though I will keep writing even if I never get one. It does help to let me know what you think about my story though and that does give me some reassurance I'm doing something right. Thank you for reading and please do continue to enjoy the story!


	3. Chapter 3

"...isn't that right?"

"Huh? I'm sorry, what was that?"

Terrence watched Monique as she glanced up from her phone. His expression wasn't exactly overjoyed with her staring at her phone through their entire lunch date- which was very rare by the way. Monique quickly put her phone in her bag and smiled innocently at him.

"I'm sorry baby," she said. "I know it's hard to get time away to spend with me during the day."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not upset about that because we have the whole weekend to share. I am interested in who has so much of your attention. Did you happen to make a friend? A work friend?" She usually went from work to home unless they had plans to do something else.

Monique nodded quickly before her body could lock up and make things look any more suspicious than they already did. "I was, um, making sure I had the right information for some photos I needed to take."

Terrence nodded. "I noticed you have on an outfit I've never seen before. Did you actually go shopping?"

Monique took a nervous sip of her tea and nodded. "Yeah, I got some advice from the work friend about presentation when I'm going out for photos. They told me I have to be more confident and, um, dressing confident was the first step."

"That's good advice," Terrence said. "I'm glad you're getting to know more people on your own." He smiled at her and she couldn't help smiling back.

On the inside she was kicking herself for telling those unnecessary lies. Well, the part about confidence wasn't a lie, Barry had actually given her a full lecture on the topic. But why was she lying to her boyfriend about another man? It wasn't like he was super jealous or anything. Monique took a deep breath and readied herself to backpedal on the conversation when Terrence's phone rang and he excused himself to answer it. She sighed and rubbed agitatedly at her temples.

When he returned he seemed rather upset. "I have to get back to the office but I'll see you Friday," he said. He gave her a quick kiss and hurried off to work.

Monique groaned and took out her phone. " _Barry why did I lie to him?"_ He was probably working but she had to send something. The question was burning a hole in her mind. Terrence had paid for the meal so she left after finishing her tea. As she walked back toward her own job, his reply came.

 _"What's wrong honey? Lied about what?"_

She stopped and leaned back against a building on the corner. " _Terrence asked me who I had been talking to earlier and I said it was a coworker."_

 _"Why? Was he angry?"_

 _"No. I don't know. I was scared."_

 _"Well, you'll have to tell him before he finds out. I don't want to come between you two after everything we went through to get your wardrobe together. Who would you have to dress up for then?"_

 _"Okay, okay. I just don't know why I did it."_

 _"It's okay, honey. Don't worry yourself sick. I'll go with you to tell him if you want."_

 _"No, that might be even more weird considering how he saw you before."_

 _"Fine. Then call me when you do it."_

 _"Okay. Thanks. You're the best."_

 _"I know. Don't forget to flaunt your new look and tell them who you got your fashion advice from."_

 _"Thank you Barry. I'll talk to you later."_

 _"Bye bye."_

Monique turned and looked at herself in the windows of the building. She usually wore a comfortable pair of jeans, flats and a simple blouse. Thanks to Barry's influence the jeans were replaced with a knee length skirt and the simple blouse was now a wrap top- made of actual wrapping as suggested by Barry. It took her forever to figure out how to wrap herself properly. If nothing else she had to commend Barry for his fashion sense.

She had not seen him since that day and it seemed like he didn't really want to meet her in person. They talked everyday and sometimes he called, but it was weird to not see someone you knew lived nearby. It's not like he was in the next city over or anything. She was starting to forget what he looked like yet they were growing closer and closer. They were somehow managing to work backwards.

Monique continued on back to the newspaper's offices and tried not to think about her pointless lies to her boyfriend or slowly vanishing image of her first ever friend: one of which was completely her own fault. Sadly she couldn't shake it and it stayed at the forefront of her mind the rest of her day.

When Monique returned home she tossed her bag aside and picked up her phone. She opened Terrence's contact on her phone and put it down on her coffee table. She paced the room for a minute or two, gathering her courage then picked it back up. Taking one final deep breath she hit the call button. It rang. Her entire body braced for the sound of his voice.

A guilty relief washed over her at the sound of his voice mail reciting his recorded message. "Hi, baby, we need to talk about something," she said after the beep. "Call me so we can talk tonight. I'll be home awaiting your call. I can't wait for this weekend." _BEEP._ Monique then rushed to the shower. A nice hot shower would ease her nerves.

The water's pressure kneaded the tense muscles of her shoulders and back. She took one of the longest showers of her life just to enjoy the water's massage. When she emerged from the bathroom, she went to check her phone. One missed call and one voice message. She played it as she got dressed.

 _"Monique, sweetie! I don't know if you're busy right now, but I'm out and was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee or something. I'm taking care of some business right now but I'll be done in a few minutes. If you're not doing anything I'll be waiting right outside. You know the place."_

"Are you kidding me?" Monique thought aloud as she grabbed a dress from her closet. Another piece influenced by Barry. She grabbed her bag, the phone and ran out the door. Although she wanted to wait on Terrence's call she was not missing out on spending time with the elusive Barry.

Monique took a wild guess as to where he might have been hinting at. There was only one place she associated with him since it was the only place she had ever seen him. Luckily, she guessed right and found him waiting on the steps of the psychiatrist's building. His face lit up when he saw her.

"Hey Mo'," he greeted her with an oppressively tight hug. He stepped back to get a better look at her. "Hm, turn, turn," he said thoughtfully. Monique did as requested. "I love this dress on you," he said, chuckling as he caught her hands when she stopped turning.

Monique wanted to hide her face in embarrassment but her hands were occupied at the moment.. "Thank you," she replied quietly.

Barry then proceeded to drag her about the city to a little coffee shop. Monique ordered a green tea instead of coffee. Silence ensued for a few awkward minutes. Seeing as she wasn't going to say anything, Barry took the initiative. "So, how are things with Terrence? Have you told him yet?"

Monique shook her head. "I called him but he was busy so I told him to call me later so we can talk." She put her head in her hands. "Why didn't I just tell him the truth?"

Barry reached across the table and rubbed her arms. "Oh, honey, look it's fine. You can't spend too much time on the mistake otherwise you'll miss your chance to fix it. I don't like seeing you like this."

Monique looked up at him and sighed. "I'm sorry. I keep bringing all my troubles with me whenever we talk, don't I? You must get tired of hearing about it."

"Oh on, no. If I can take my mind off of my own troubles, then I will gladly listen to yours all day," he replied with a sad smile.

Monique's expression changed to one of concern. "Is everything okay, Barry? Do you want to talk about it or...?"

"No," he chuckled, "No, I don't wanna talk about it... Hey, I don't have anything else to do but bug you today so what do you wanna do?" He watched her face expectantly as he sipped his frappe.

"Well, we've been talking for a while now," she started nervously. "It's mostly been about clothes and accessorizing, but I don't really know much about you." She was staring into her teacup as she spoke. "I wanna know more about you, Barry."

Barry tapped the rim of his coffee lid with a finger. "Aw, Mo', what's wrong? Don't you trust me?"

"I do, I just, kind of, feel like...you don't trust me, Barry."

His smile faltered and for a moment Monique thought she saw something else reflected in those soulful blue eyes.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for joining me and reading along so far! It seems I forgot to upload this chapter so today you all get a double update! Yay! I apologize if these chapters are short for some but I'm trying my hardest not to pile things up and then die out. I want this to be long enough to really flesh out the relationships building up within. Thank you for reading and I appreciate every view, follow, favorite and comment. I hope you all have a great summer!


	4. Chapter 4

Neither one spoke for minutes at a time. Monique watched Barry, waiting for some kind of movement. She had dared to take him back to her house just to show him how much she really trusted him. He had been apprehensive but she kept telling him it was not a big deal. Honestly, she was still feeling quite uneasy herself bringing him into her house. Barry sat on the couch with his legs crossed and elbow resting on his knee. His chin was placed on the back of his hand, his expression calm but contemplating.

Whatever it was, he had been thinking about it since they got there. He had said he didn't want to talk about it but she had seen something in his eyes back at the cafe. Something was bothering him and she really wanted to know why so she waited patiently for him to decide to speak...or not. Barry eventually opened his eyes and sat back into the couch. At the expectant look in Monique's eyes he smiled. "It's not fair to expect you to tell me everything about your life and not share mine. I'm sorry Mo'."

"I just want to know, you know, some basic things. You don't have to tell me anything personal," she said.

Barry sighed and sat foreward with his elbows on his knees. "Well, I'm a designer- I have sketch books full of my own designs," he said, looking rather proud of himself.

Monique was beaming after hearing the new information. "Will I ever get to see them?"

"Mm, maybe. Maybe one day," he replied with a smile. "We'll see." He sat back and crossed his legs. "Um, my day job actually has nothing to do with that. I work at the zoo as a manager."

Again, Monique was beaming. "You get to work around all those beautiful animals." He shrugged. "Aw, you don't like it?"

He tapped thoughtfully at his bottom lip. "I don't love it, but I don't hate it. I'm just glad we've been able to do it for as long as we have."

"We?" Monique was looking expectant again.

"Me and a friend of mine," Barry said with a smile. "We had been looking for work for a while and happened to find the opening at the zoo."

Monique nodded slowly as her expression turned contemplative. There was something that came to mind that she was curious about but decided it was too personal a question to ask so soon. Barry was about to continue when Monique's phone rang. Her curious expression changed to one of dread as she looked at the caller ID. Terrence. She looked at Barry as if asking him if she should answer or not.

He nodded and pat the couch next to him. She ran over and sat next to him, pulling her legs up onto the couch. She answered and put it on speaker. "Hey," she answered, her voice a little shaken.

 _"Hey, baby, I got your message. Is everything okay?"_

"Yeah, nothing's wrong," she said. Even she wouldn't believe that with the way she sounded at the moment. "Are you on break?"

 _"I am but I can get some time to come see you if there's anything wrong,"_ he said sternly. " _Tell me what's going on Mo'."_

"He got angry," Barry whispered.

 _"What was that?"_

"I, um..." she looked at Barry who shook his head. She was on her own. "You remember this morning over lunch when you asked me about who I was texting?"

Barry looked like he was going to say something but put a hand over his mouth and just watched the tragedy unfold.

"I wasn't talking to a coworker it was a friend of mine." The words just rushed out and she closed her eyes as if bracing for a slap.

 _"Oh, Mo', I thought something had happened to you. I was worried."_ He sounded tired. " _I'm glad you're making friends on your own. Why didn't you just tell me?"_

Monique rubbed at her forehead. Barry hugged her around her shoulders. "I-I don't know. I guess I was worried about telling you because it's a man."

 _"He knows you're spoken for doesn't he?"_

"Yes, he knows. It's nothing like that. He's the one who helped me that day when I fell."

 _"It's fine, as long as he knows you're spoken for and doesn't try anything. So, when do I get to meet this friend of yours?"_

"How about this weekend?" She said with a glance at Barry. He leaned back to look at her. The look on his face was not one of approval. "O-oh, wait, that's right, we have plans already, don't we?" She backpedaled so quickly she literally felt dizzy.

 _"Yes, we do,"_ Terrence said, a smile evident in his voice. _"I could see making some time to get to know a friend of yours at the end of our weekend. To tell you the truth if they're getting friendly with you I don't really trust them to have good intentions."_

Monique gave Barry an apologetic look before responding, "He's a good guy, I promise. You'll see when you meet him."

 _"Alright, I'll be finding that out real soon."_ He didn't sound upset or anything, but the way he said it made Monique feel sick to her stomach. _"I need to be getting back to work so I'll catch up with you later tonight."_

"Okay. Bye." Monique ended the call and tossed her phone aside. "I just made it worse, didn't I?" She let her guard down and leaned into Barry's embrace.

Barry rubbed her arm gently. "Aw, honey, don't worry about it. If it'll make you feel better I'll meet him."

"Thank you." She turned her head to look up at him. "I'm sorry I'm dragging you into all of this," she said.

"No, no, it's okay. He really cares about you." Barry hugged her a little tighter as his expression turned into one of discomfort. He shook his head and got up from the couch. "I think I need to go," he said as he walked acroos the room. He clenched his fists as his shoulders rose and fell with deep, concentrated breaths. "I need to go."

Monique stood and grabbed her keys. "I'll take you back home, just tell me-"

"No, I can walk," he said as he grabbed his coat. Barry gave one last sad smile before leaving her staring after him and now very worried.

Barry hurried down the driveway, shrugging on his coat as he walked. " _That was so rude! Who did that?"_

 _"It was Hedwig! I saw him!"_

 _"No, no, no! No! It wasn't me! It wasn't!"_

 _"I saw you do it!"_

 _"Noooo!"_

 _"Stop it! Just be quiet for a minute. I'll handle it when we get back."_

The other voices hushed to whispers and Barry rubbed his head agitatedly. It had only been getting worse as the days went on. Hedwig was the one acting, but he wasn't the only one involved. They had an idea of who was behind the interferances and sometimes the other alters told him about what the others were doing. Some of them whispered in the shadows.

Barry slowed to a calmer pace once he was back in a familiar area. They were doing things to throw him off all the time. They noticed Hedwig because he was often the one doing things but they were certain Dennis and Patricia were involved as well. Patricia told stories to scare them but Barry always tried to reassure them it was just a story. She was always talking about it like it was something to value but it wasn't what the others wanted and he had to keep everyone's best interest in mind.

Both Patricia and Dennis had been banned from taking the light because of their tendencies. They weren't necessary anymore- Barry protected everyone now. He kept purposeful strides as he walked through the city. His eyes were focused forward and unwavering until he reached their current residence. Barry ascended the staircase and kept his brisk pace until he reached their apartment. He locked the door behind himself and took off his coat.

Dumbbells sat in the corner of the living room near the small sofa on the back wall. A little wooden coffee table sat in the middle of the room and coat rack by the door. In the dining room there were canvases, a tall book shelf, a mannequin draped in fabric and an assortment of other odd ends but no table. The bedroom was much neater: one bed, a dresser and a closet. Now that he was home he could relax. No one else would see him speaking with the others. He took off his shoes and laid back in the bed and closed his eyes.

* * *

A/N: I haven't seen the deleted scenes and such yet but to my knowledge Kevin's living space isn't shown. I just wanted some things to take place elsewhere since this will go into the movie's events later on and we all know what that setting looks like.  
Wednesdays and Sundays will be update days and I may update even between those days because I have so many chapters typed out all ready. Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Once he was back home Barry set to getting the others in line. There were twenty-two others. Most of them were good people, they didn't mean any harm, but there were some who had to be refused the light for benefit of the others. They fell to silence, each one in their chair, as they noticed Barry's return. His eyes lingered on Hedwig before continuing to look over the others.

They looked so expectant of him. They expected him to come right the wrong, to straighten out ones who were causing trouble. Hedwig was their resident troublemaker. He was the youngest and he always would be. Just like Dennis and Patricia, his function was no longer needed. His childish behavior was necessary years ago, but the body they shared was an adult now and they just didn't need him anymore.

No one really disliked Hedwig, he was a child. He was immature and annoying and bothersome, but, again, he was a child. The real issue began with those stories Patricia was telling. They scared him and so he was made to believe them. The others often told Barry they saw her whispering to him. No one disliked the child but when he started to gravitate towards Patricia they turned on him pretty quickly.

Barry took Hedwig aside, giving the light to Orwell, before doing so. There was no need to reprimand him in front of the others. They walked past Patricia, who hummed softly. Barry knelt in front of Hedwig. "Hedwig, you know what you did don't you? That wasn't nice." The boy looked to either side and folded his arms over his chest. "I had to be mean to our friend, Hedwig."

"Ith not our friend, justh yourth," he retorted. "The only one she knowth ith you."

Barry sighed tiredly. "Hedwig, I can't just give the light away. She doesn't know about us yet but I will tell her when I think she can handle it."

Hedwig looked at him. "I juth want the light for one minute," he whined. "Why doeth Jade get it all the time?"

"Jade deosn't have the light all the time but she has to take her insulin shots," Barry said. He thought for a moment. "What would you do if I gave you the light Hedwig?"

His eyes lit up. "I would do a bunch of stuff! I could draw more pictureth and-and litsthen to my radio."

Barry smiled at him. He was just a kid after all. "It's been a little while since you could do that, right?" He nodded as Hedwig nodded. "What if I gave you the light for the night so you could do all of those things? But you have to be good Hedwig. You can't keep doing things like this."

He nodded slowly and let his arms fall freely to his sides. Barry patted his head. He was worried that they were having a bad influence on him but maybe he wasn't so far gone as the others thought. That didn't stop the others from giving him a hard time though. Barry let Orwell keep the light for a few hours before giving it to Hedwig for the night. He was a good kid though that also meant he was easily led astray.

The weekend came and for the time being Terrence was spending it at Monique's house. Seeing as during the week they often went out for lunch, dinner, or a light stroll in between business, most of this time was spent cuddling on her couch. Monique preferred the time spent as just the two of them. They could talk easier and she was the most relaxed that way. Terrence had no complaints either until she was ready for bed and he had to go.

Although she was loving the time she got to spend with him, she was deftly aware of how silent her phone had been. Barry had not text her since that evening. She didn't like how things had ended so the fact that he hadn't called her or anything was bothersome. Of course, Monique didn't let her worry show when she was sitting with Terrence watching movies all night. In the morning she checked her phone to see if there was a missed call or text overnight, but there nothing. Monique worried that there was something really wrong he wasn't telling her.

"So tell me about this friend of yours," Terrence asked as they were walking back from the grocery store. "What's he like?"

Monique smiled. "He's a really sweet guy. He's caring and always well dressed too. In fact, the recent wardrobe change is due to his advice. He's got an eye for fashion." They loaded the bags into the car then started back home. "We've been talking practically ever since we met," she went on. "He's always giving me advice when it comes to certain things..."

Terrence looked at her. "Certain things like what?"

"Like being confident by dressing confidently and some...relationship advice."

Terrence laughed a little. "You told him about us? What did you tell him?"

Monique shrugged and looked out the window. She watched the world blur around them as her eyes tried to follow the images. "I didn't tell him anything personal," she said, "Just how wonderful my boyfriend is and how much he cares about me. I don't have anyone else to talk about you to."

"I can just imagine you talking to him in that cutely little way you do," Terrence said, reaching over to tickle her side. Monique playfully hit his shoulder then covered her sides. "So, just out of curiosity, I'm not trying to start nothin' but...is he attractive?"

Monique frowned at him. "Are you serious?"

"I just want to know."

"Terrence." She just stared, waiting for him to retract his question but he didn't. "No I don't find him attractive. He does have pretty eyes and a sweet face, but I am not attracted to him nor will I ever be. Is that what you want to hear?"

Terrence didn't look at her, a sure sign he was aware of just what she was feeling towards him at the moment. Monique was rarely ever angry, or at least she didn't show it, so the fact that there was so much attitude in her tone was enough to know he had done something very wrong in asking such a thing.

It took Monique a few hours to get over that question. They were supposed to make dinner together, but that didn't happen until much later. To make matters worse, the entire time she was thinking about Barry. She was able to hold a somewhat decent conversation over dinner but afterwards she went right to bed. Terrence apologized for asking her about something like that. She just hugged him and wished him sweet dreams before shuffling off to bed.

Monique laid on her back staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't like he knew everything about her either. Still, she had told him to let her know if he needed anything. That didn't necessarily mean pouring his heart out to her, but if he was troubled she thought he would at least talk to her about it. He didn't have to tell her everything, just something so she wouldn't worry as much.

She sat up with a sigh. There was no way she could sleep when he was supposed to be joining them for dinner the next day. He could have at least let her know if he could make it. Even though it was late she wanted to hear from him that he was okay. She sent him a message and tried to keep it short. _"It's been a few days since I heard from you. Are you doing okay?"_ She didn't expect an answer but she still watched her phone until she fell asleep.

When she woke the first thing she went for was her phone. No response. Maybe he changed his mind about meeting Terrence. It was kind of weird after only knowing her for a couple weeks. Maybe it was just too soon. Admittedly, it did feel like things were happening a little too fast. It was her fault- she was kind of talking without really thinking about what she was saying at the time. She got out of bed and headed straight for the shower to try and calm her mind before facing the day. By the time she was ready to move on Terrence was up and about. He had stayed over for the night since it was their last day off.

She greeted him as she walked into the kitchen. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Did you?" He asked as he kissed the top of her head. "You can have bad dreams if you go to sleep upset."

"I slept just fine," Monique said. "Actually, I haven't heard from him in a while and I'm a little worried. The last time we spoke something happened and he had to leave. I just hope he's doing alright."

Terrence hugged her close from behind, leaning forward a little to rest his chin on her shoulder. "It's probably just work or something," he said. "You know how our schedule works. This is the most time we've spent together in over a month. He'll get back to you when he can."

"He works at the zoo. He's so lucky." Monique put on a pout. "What if he can't meet us tonight?"

"Then we'll meet some other time. There's no rush, baby. I know the work schedule can get out of hand so I understand if he can't make it."

When the time came he didn't make it out. He never responded to her text either. It was like Barry just...vanished.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Hey, Mo', hun, I'm so sorry for not calling or texting or anything for so long I just... Work got really busy, you know? I want to see you again. Let me know when you have some free time and we can meet up."_

This was the message left on her phone when Monique checked it during her lunch break. At first she was really excited to hear his voice again and know he was okay, but then she realized how long it had been since he said a word to her: a week. An entire week. She had busy days too so she understood, but, in all that time he couldn't even text her once? What about the message she sent him? The zoo wasn't even open all day, how busy could he be?

Monique shook her head slowly. It was soothing to hear his voice again though. Honestly, she had begun to wonder if the spontaneous meeting was to blame for him running off. He hadn't said anything about that. Should she even take him back in the first place? Who knows what he got into the past week.

She sighed as she replayed the message. Despite how upset she was with him and how worried she was about Terrence's reaction to him skipping out on dinner, she really did want to see him again. Barry was the first successful interaction she had made on her own. She really wanted it to work out. Monique text him since there was no gaurantee that he was free to take a call. She still felt somewhat apprehensive in getting back in contact with him.

Terrence's opinion of him had changed just a little. Skipping out on the dinner wasn't that big of a deal, it was rather spontaneous to just include him like that. The fact that he didn't communicate his absence was a little annoying, but Terrence understood that sometimes life just happens. You can't make every plan you make, it was fine. When he found out that Barry had not been speaking to her for the past week, then there was a problem.

 _"Have you heard anything from him yet?"_ Terrence had called while she was out taking care of a few work related errands.

"Um, yes," Monique replied. "He called me and left a message this morning, I think. He apologized for disappearing."

 _"Mhm, and did he apologize for the dinner?"_

"No, but-"

 _"I don't like that Mo'. He skipped out on a chance to meet me, he calls you a week later and doesn't even mention the dinner or anything about me."_

Okay, so it did sound a little sketchy, when he put it like that, but this was Barry they were talking about. "He wouldn't do something like that," Monique said, more to herself than to Terrence. "He's like a friend. Besides, he wasn't necessarily attracted to my wardrobe post meeting."

 _"But he's got you dressing a little more lady like now, huh? He's paying attention to you Mo', a lot of attention. You're a beautiful woman and now he has you dressing like one."_

In a normal conversation, hearing him refer to her as beautiful would make her feel very embarrassed but it only made her more upset at the moment. He didn't even know Barry and he was just stating these things like they were facts. Then again, she wasn't as aware of people as he was. It had only been about a month and they mostly communicated over the phone and even moreso text. What if he was trying to run some game on her?

 _"Mo'?"_

Monique shook her head as if she could shake out the thought. "No, he's not like that Terrence," she said, again, more to herself than to him. "Barry...He's struggling with something, I know he is. The last time I saw him he was in pain."

 _"That's all the more reason to cut ties. Hurting people hurt people. It happens all the time Mo' and I don't want that to happen to you."_

"What if he just needs someone there to support him? Someone to lean on or a reason to keep pushing through it?"

 _"Mo', two people on crutches holding onto each other aren't going to get very far. You have to be able to help yourself before you can help anyone else, baby. Trust me on this. I've seen it."_

Monique had stopped walking and sat on a nearby stoop with her free hand covering her eyes. There were things she just didn't understand about people and sometimes she would make mistakes. Concepts others grasped a long time ago took her a longer time to understand because she prefered to do so alone. It was too painful trying to interact, she just couldn't stand the way her body felt afterwards. But she had reached out to him and to be afraid of someone she decided to include in her tiny circle was beyond ridiculous.

 _"Mo'... I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that you don't have family to go back to if something happens... I'm all you have and I just want to make sure I'm protecting you."_

Monique wiped the tears from her eyes and looked to the sky. "I know, baby, I know. You just want what's best for me and I appreciate you so much for that. Please, just let me do this one thing. Let me be there for someone when nobody could be there for me. If things go bad then I'll let you know, but I want to do this. Please."

Terrence sighed into the receiver. _"Baby, I will support you in whatever you want to do, but make no mistake, if I have to come over there it's a done deal. I'm not letting anybody take advantage of you."_

"I know, I know," she replied, her voice shaking. "I'm sure it's fine though. I have to, um, get back to work. I'm gonna be late for a shoot. I'll let you know if anything happens."

 _"I'll be right here if you need me. You know where I live so don't hesitate to come by if you need to. I love you."_

"I love you too. Bye."

There was no way she could recover from that too quickly but she had to. She had an appointment and she had to be on time. She moved quickly from assignment to assignment, slowly working away her morning hours. She took a minute between appointments to grab a milkshake, something sweet and cold would help to calm her frayed nerves. As she skimmed over Barry's name her heart skipped a beat. It wasn't happiness she was feeling this time.

 _"If you're still out doing some things I can wait. Maybe we could get together afterwards if it isn't too late."_

For some reason she felt like she shouldn't reply, but she did. _"I'm almost done. I'm heading to my second to last stop if you want to meet me there."_

Barry replied quickly. He'd gladly meet her there. She gave him the address and time then went about her way. That milkshake felt like the most reassuring thing she'd come in contact with all day. She dreaded the end of the appointment and even moreso the end of the next one. Why did her boyfriend have to be so sure of himself?

Monique hesitated at the door. She could see Barry standing by the stoop with his hands in his pockets. He hadn't given her reason to be afraid of him so she decided to suck it up. She fixed her camera bag over her shoulder and pushed the door open. Barry turned suddenly when he heard the door open. "Hey, hey there she is," he greeted her as she came down to meet him. "How are you doing?"

Monique did miss the sound of his voice, but something was a bit off. "I'm doing good," she said with a smile to match his. "Terrence and I were worried when you didn't show up for the dinner...or call."

He laughed nervously and rubbed at the back of his neck, "I'm sorry about that, really. I was looking forward to meeting him but things got a little out of hand at work and..." He shrugged. "I really do feel awful about that. Could you tell him I'm sorry?"

"I think he'd rather if you told him yourself," she replied.

Barry's smile faltered. "I'm sorry Mo'."

She folded her arms over her chest and sighed. "I know you're sorry. I didn't mean it to sound like that."

He slipped his hands back into his pockets. "Look, Mo', there's something I wanna tell you and I'm...I'm not really sure if I should but I wanna be honest with you. Is it alright if we go somewhere where we can talk in private?"

A/N: Another rather short chapter that I think didn't have much to it, but I generally stop a chapter where I feel like if I add anymore it would just be unfullfilling. Thank you for reading, as always!


	7. Chapter 7

The look on Barry's face made Monique think that any public space, no matter how secluded, wouldn't be private enough so she took him back to her house. They were just going to talk, what's the worse that could happen from talking? She offered him a drink but he declined. She sat down on the couch next to him with a tea tray. Barry waited until she had a cup before starting.

Barry turned so he was facing her and took a deep breath. "We've been talking for about a month now and I think that if we're gonna keep doing this, I need to be up front with you about some things." He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "The reason I don't like to meet in person often is because I only wanna meet when I'm feeling the most in control and that's not all the time." Monique looked a little confused so he went on. "I have what's called DID. Do you know what that is?"

She seemed to think on it for a little bit before shaking her head slowly. "Is that why..." she trailed off as she lifted her tea cup back to her lips.

"Yeah, that's why I had to leave the other day," he said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Sometimes I get headaches when... Wait," he laughed nervously, "Let me start over. DID stands for Dissociative Identity Disorder."

Monique slowly put her tea cup back on the table, her eyes set on Barry's as she did so. So it was something serious. She tried to choose her next words carefully. "So, what does that mean for us? Do you not want to do this anymore?" She motioned between them.

Barry wiped a hand over his face tiredly. "No, I just don't want to keep this secret from you anymore. I feel like I'm lying to you by not telling you."

"O-Okay," she said. "I'm listening, Barry."

"This disorder means that there is more than one..." He rubbed his chin as he searched for the right word. "I'm sharing this body with other people- other personalities. It sounds weird, but...Dr. Fletcher says that we're all sharing this body. I-Is any of this making sense for you?"

It sounded weird, but she had heard of something like it when she was researching why she had such a bad time interacting with other people. It was called something else though. Monique looked back up at him. "So, this disorder creates other personalities? Is that like the multiple personality disorder?"

The tension in his shoulders ceased and he relaxed. "Dr. Fletcher told me that it's called DID now. She also said that because of us Kevin is safe. She says that we are all a part of Kevin, the host, but, we should be respected as important individuals too."

This gave Monique pause. "Kevin?"

"Kevin is the reason why we're all here. His mother abused him- she wasn't a very reasonable woman when it came to punishment. We would take over to protect him from that hurt and anyone else who wanted to hurt him." He tried to keep the worry from his face but he was pretty sure it wasn't working. It was nerve wracking admitting all of this to her, but he didn't feel right keeping it from her any longer when they had invested so much into the friendship so far.

Monique was hoping that asking questions made him feel better about telling her all of this and that she didn't seem as unsettled as she actually was. She wasn't freaking out, she wasn't making faces or anything because she was genuinely curious about the disorder. There were, however, some things she felt she had to get off her chest. "You haven't given me a reason not to trust you, Barry. I think that you have been being honest with me but...I am kind of not feeling what you are telling me...right now."

Barry took her hands between his and looked her straight in the eyes. He looked just too serious for the Barry she had come to know. She liked when he smiled and when he talked about clothes with her, but now he looked a little less familiar to her. He must have noticed her discomfort becasue his expression softened and and he tried to smile even just a little. "Mo', baby girl, I promise you, no one is going to hurt you. None of us want to hurt you."

Monique searched his eyes, looking for something that may make her feel like he wasn't telling the truth. He stayed there, just like that, for her to look at as long as she wanted. He wouldn't move until she was satisfied. When she finally nodded he released the breath he had been holding. "Do you believe me?"

She nodded as her eyes brimmed with tears. She didn't know why she was crying, honestly. Maybe it was for him and because of what Kevin had gone through to be so broken. She had been emotionally neglected, tried on many levels psychologically and that's how she got where she was now. She had a hard time functioning as it was, but he had to have been through so much worse.

It was unsettling but she knew now that there was no way she could leave him. She wasn't sure how useful she could be but she wanted to be there for him. If he had someone to talk to maybe... "Kevin," she said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Does that mean that you're one of his personalities too?"

"Yeah, I am." Barry said.

"So...where is Kevin?" She was a little afraid of the answer considering the situation.

Barry released her hands. "Kevin is asleep. It was a few years ago, but something happened and one of us was triggered. Since then I've been in control because he can't come back. He can't handle it."

Monique's lips parted and she shook her head, her eyes narrowing in her confusion. "So, Kevin, the main person...is asleep... So you and the other personalities have control of his body at any time?" She felt the tears coming back. Blinking them away didn't help, they just rolled down her cheeks as she tried to maintain her facade.

Barry wiped her tears and cupped her face, trying to calm her. "Shh, shh. It's okay, I promise. You're doing so good right now. Not just anyone can take the light, I have the power to control the light. No one can have it if I don't give it to them."

She looked away from him as she tried to mentally digest everything he had told her so far. She knew there had been something wrong with him but not once did she think it was something so deep. Well, to be honest, what she had been thinking of wasn't exactly as simple as the flu. But this felt so much worse somehow. He would be alive and he would be able to stay with her, but it had to be so hard for him, right? For them? She looked into his eyes.

"Is it...hard?" Monique whispered, her voice unable to get any louder.

"Is what hard?" he asked.

"Sharing a body with other...personalities?"

"Sometimes, but we just want to live like everybody else. They have hobbies and things they like to do just like you."

"How many are there?"

"A lot," he answered hesitantly.

"More than one?"

"Yes."

"Two?"

"A little more than that."

Monique rubbed her eyes again. "Nevermind, don't tell me yet."

"I wasn't gonna tell you anything more," he replied. "You just take your time with what I've told you so far."

She didn't ask anymore questions and he didn't say anything else. He took his hands from her face and held onto one of her hands. He just waited, letting her work through her emotions for a couple minutes. Monique hadn't thrown him out yet so that was a good sign. She was asking questions, another good sign. It was hard for her to process that the person in front of her was not the actual person, but another. This was the personality she associated with this face and this voice and... She couldn't see this body acting any other way than the way that Barry carried himself.

There were other people- personalities- within this same body though: eventually she would meet one of them. She would have to see someone else in control. That thought alone made her head spin. She rubbed tiredly at her eyes and sighed. Technically he was part of Kevin's mind, right? So, in a way it was him...right?

Monique put her free hand ontop of his. "Barry, I do believe you. I definitely believe you, really. This is a lot to take in and I don't want to push you out- I mean I have more questions." She gave a fleeting smile. "But I do need sometime to...think things over or...um...I don't know!" She stood from the couch and started to pace the room. "I just...It's..."

Barry stood and made his way to the door. "I understand. I'll give you some space. Just give me a call or whatever when you're ready."

"I will," she said with a sigh. "And Barry?"

He stopped just over the threshold to look back.

"I'm so sorry about what happeed to Kevin and...all of you. And I really will call or text or whatever."

He nodded then closed the door behind himself. Once he was gone Monique grabbed her phone and went straight to her room. She crawled into bed and pulled the covers up over her head. The first thought in her mind was to tell Terrence but now that she was looking at his number everything in her was screaming not to. He would definitely overreact. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much op those reading and those leaving comments. I'm glad that I can add a story to the still growing Split category here. Thanks for reading and hope you all have a great week.


	8. Chapter 8

Barry's words plagued her mind even later on into the night. All of the honesty was appreciated, but it was so heavy a topic to be honest with. The fact that he felt comfortable enough to tell her about his disorder was good enough for her. He wanted to keep talking to her and being around her. The thought alone was enough to cause her to tear up again. She let herself cry because she hadn't in so long. Her emotions got the best of her. He had been so openly honest with her it caused a part of her she locked away to be shaken just enough for her to feel it.

After drying her tears and drinking an nauseously sweet drink, she picked up her phone again. Was it too soon to call him? _Maybe I shouldn't call him_ , she thought. _Would it seem too removed to text him? Wait, I should wait at least until tomorrow. Shouldn't I?_ Monique ended up staring at her phone for almost five minutes before going to get something to eat. She grabbed a bag of pretzels and went back to her room. Whenever she started feeling stuck on something she went to sweets or the unhealthy snack foods.

Instead of sitting there nursing a headache, she took to her computer and did a little research. The information she found was just upsetting. Most of the information was just repeating the same thing other websites were saying. She did, at least have some of her questions answered about DID. She felt a little better knowing more about it, but what she did learn let her know that Kevin's case was drastically different from the average. Each one varied but she had seen nothing like what Barry had told her about.

This made her even more curious yet more worried for him. It seemed Barry was taking good care of Kevin, he wasn't hurt or suffering. He had a job so he wasn't past the point of functioning in society as an alter, as she found the correct term to be. They were doing well. Something had him uneasy though and the fact that she didn't know what made her uneasy.

Surely there were somethings the articles and websites weren't telling her. Monique kept looking around for information until she couldn't keep her eyes open. She woke in one instance with her face on the keyboard. She rubbed at the imprint as she shut down the computer and trudged off to bed.

Before she went to bed she had to at least text him. There was no way she could go to bed without easing his mind and hers too. _"I just want you to know that I do believe you. I really do. I did some research on DID so I understand a little better now. I won't leave you alone, Barry."_ It was a little embarrassing when reading back over the text, but it was how she felt. She wouldn't let him be alone anymore if he didn't want to. The text was sent then she spent some time under the high pressured warm water before returning to bed and easing under her sheets for sleep.

There wasn't much to recall when she woke. Monique just had this feeling that there was something she was supposed to be doing. She got out of bed rubbing at her eyes with her fingers. She struggled a bit to recall the other day. When she did though, she rushed back to the room to grab her phone. Squinting with sleepy eyes, she skimmed her messages. There was one from Barry.

 _"You don't know how much that means to me, I mean, us. You're one more person who really believes in us. Thanks Mo'. There's some more I wanna tell you but it'll have to wait until later."_

Monique couldn't help smiling at his message. It did seem that a lot of people weren't fully understanding what was going on with DID patients. She had a very basic understanding of how all of it came about but she would use her newfound knowledge to figure things out. Whatever else he had to tell her, he would have her full attention no matter what. Until later came, however, she had work to do. She had a text from work as well. Some started earlier than others.

She quickly dressed and headed out. In a moment's pause she realized she had to at least let Terrence know they had patched things up. But would he even care? He was pretty well convinced that Barry was playing a game until he got what he wanted from her. Monique rolled her eyes. She was glad it wasn't true but she felt silly for even thinking about it for the short time that she did.

Just because he could read people's intentions from a mile away did not mean he was always right. He was wrong sometimes. Monique oddly found comfort in that little tidbit. Once she got to the paper's office she didn't stay long before having to go out and gather photos at the scene of an incident. Truth be told it was the hardest thing in the world at that moment to focus on work. She had to keep looking at the address given to her otherwise she would have forgotten it.

Barry was probably working himself but she wanted so badly to talk to him. What else did he have to tell her? What else was there? She was both excited and afraid but she wanted to know everything about him- about all of them. It was a curious thing that happened to Kevin. If he had been in control of his body until a few years ago, whatever happened must have been terrible if he hadn't been able to regain control since then.

Monique tried to clear her head to take the pictures and get some names. It was a horrifying car wreck. A car was flipped and leaning on the back of another damaged vehicle. The vehicle that likely started it had crumbled. Monique snapped a picture and made a face. It reminded her of aluminum foil the way it was crumpled. Luckily, there were others from the paper there and she didn't have to do much else.

She approached them to let them know she took pictures. Once she had shown her face to everyone she got as far from that crowd as possible. Too many people, too many questions. She just took pictures, that's it. On her way back she ventured to call Barry because she just couldn't get over herself. Monique held her breath as it rang.

"Hey, hun!" he answered rather excitedly.

"Barry, hi!" She wanted to kick herself for sounding just as excited as he did. "How are you doing?"

"I'm just fine," he replied. He sounded like he was struggling with something. "What are you up to today? Work? Boyfriend?"

"I have work every day," she replied. "There's no such thing as an off day for me, only down time."

"Aw, that's a shame Mo'. If you were free I was gonna do something really fun with you today."

Monique sighed. "Like what?"

"I was thinking about, maybe, letting you come over to see our place."

It was weird hearing him refer to himself in the plural, but if he was also an alter it made sense. "Really? I'd love to see your place...and talk more." That was more of a question than a statement.

"Yeah, we can talk more," Barry said. "Whatever you wanna know, I'll tell you what I can. The others are really excited to meet you too."

"Will I get to meet them?"

"Mmmaybe. If you come over today. If you can make it please come. They're nagging me about it."

Monique stifled her laughter. She was glad but it did seem rude to laugh at something like that. "I'll try my best. Maybe I can get by this evening if things aren't too tied up. There was a big crash this morning so I might be working on photos for a few hours."

"Don't stress too much if you can't make it. We'll be here."

"I'll call you if I can make it. Is the invitation open to later tonight as well?" She asked.

"It can be, but if you're tired after work don't worry about it. It's fine if you can't come today. We can meet after work tomorrow." There was this sound of crumpling paper and he sighed heavily.

"What are you doing?" Monique asked unable to keep the laughter out of her voice. "Do you have paperwork or something?"

"No, it's- I got this design in my head but I can't get it out on paper right."

"I'm sure talking to me isn't helping so I'll let you go. I'm back at the office anyway. Look forward to my call later."

"Alright, I will. Bye."

"Bye, Barry." Now she had even more energy than before. She ran inside then kept a brisk walk until she got to her desk.

The hours passed slowly and painfully as she worked on her photos and interchanged it with copyediting so her eyes didn't get tired. She had a rather boring set of skills but they made for relatively easy work and easily gained trust from others. It was hard to be bad at either of her tasks so she put in a little more effort to seem like she was being extra, but not really. She glanced out the large windows of the office every now and then just to gauge how long she had been sitting. She stayed in that chair as long as she could to get as much done as she could before her time was up. Even if it did go up they would likely ask her to do a little more.

Monique managed to complete her tasks just as the sun began to set. This was one of her longer days but she had gotten everything done and proceeded to get out of dodge. Of course there was the occasional obstacle, people stopping to ask her when she would be available for some other things but she just told them to text her the details and she would get back to them. "I'm so sorry but I have a prior engagement and I'm going to be late if I don't leave right now," she said as she rushed out and went around them.

Once she was outside, she sprinted to her car and jumped in. She started the engine and called Barry. His voice surrounded her through the car's speakers. "Hey! Are you coming over?"

"Yeah! I'm going home to change my clothes really quick but I'm heading your way right afterwards," she said.

"Alright, then I'll be waiting for you."

"Alright, see you in a little bit then."

Monique slowed as she approached her house. Terrence's car was in the driveway. She parked by the curb and got out. He was waiting for her by the door. "Hey Baby!" he said as she walked up the stone path. "I stopped by to see you before going home."

'Wow, already?" she said as she opened the door and rushed inside. "Come on in."

"Yeah, they let me off early since I've been there everyday since those three days off," he explained. "Has your friend said anything else to you?"

Monique was in her room pulling the blouse over her head when he asked. She pulled the t-shirt over her head and pulled her hair out of the collar. "Yeah, he did," she called back as she danced out of her pants. "He said he was really sorry about missing the dinner. Something urgent came up and he just couldn't get out of it."

"Urgent like what?" Terrence called back.

Monique stepped into her skirt and pulled it up over her hips. "Um, he said it was a medical emergency." She tried to keep the question out of her voice. Here she was again lying to him about this man. But if he knew the truth he would surely keep her from going, or worse yet, want to go with her and that just didn't bode well. She put on a pair of sandals and grabbed her purse from the bed.

Terrence looked her up and down when she emerged from the room in a completely different outfit. The question was obvious. "Are you going out by yourself?" He looked a little incredulous.

Monique folded her arms, more for comfort than defense. "Y-Yeah, I'm going out for a little while."

"That's new," he said with a smile. "Where are you going?"

"I have some shopping to do and, uh, I-I just don't feel like sitting around at the house tonight."

"Do you want me to go with you? It can be dangerous at night for a woman alone." He stood and walked over to take her hand. She couldn't say anything while looking him in the eyes. "I'm glad you want to go out by yourself. That means you're getting stronger."

"Really?" she asked weakly. "Am I?" _Then why do I feel so weak right now?_

He kissed her forehead then walked with her back to the door. "You know," he said as she locked the door, "I think it's sweet of you to want to help someone else. I didn't mean to make you feel bad about that. Just think about yourself sometimes too."

Monique turned around to face him. "I have been thinking about myself all this time- for years. It would be a relief to think about someone else for even an hour." She smiled at him and hugged him around his neck. She kissed his cheek then made her way back to her car without waiting for a response.


	9. Chapter 9

Monique wasn't sure what to expect when she arrived at the address Barry had given her. It wasn't like she was expecting anythign crazy but an apartment just seemed so mundane. She ascended the staircase and paused at the door, clutching her purse strap as she lifted her fist to knock on the door just as it flew open and she was snatched inside before she had any clue what was going on. It looked like Barry because she had seen him in a hoodie before but she had never seen him wearing a pink one before.

He- she?- locked the door. His- her?- shoulders relaxed as they released the door knob. She, as Monique just went with what he, er, she was wearing, slowly turned back to her. "I know this must be super weird for you, but Barry told us you would be coming and I just couldn't wait to meet you!" Her eyes were shining. "Barry told us so much about you! I'm Jade, by the way."

Monique hesitantly shook her hand. "I-I'm Monique. He hasn't told me much about you yet, I'm afraid."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Come on, sit down, I'm being so rude. Do you want anything from the kitchen?"

"No thank you," Monique said as she followed her into the living room. It was neat, not a total mess. There were weights in a corner and books on the coffee table among a few magazines. She turned to look at the paintings on the wall. _Did an alter make these too? They're beautiful._ She hurried to the sofa and sat down. The sight of a needle and small bottle of clear liquid on the coffee table gave her pause. She leaned forward a little to read the label. It was insulin.

When Jade returned to the living room she groaned, grabbed the needle and bottle then went to the back room. Monique crossed her legs and hugged herself. Just because she understood did not mean that what just happened was okay. She did want to meet the other alters but that was just too unexpected. She was not prepared to see a grown man wearing a pink hoodie, speaking and acting like a teenage girl. There had to be procedure- she had to have forewarning before something like that went down.

To her relief it was Barry who came back to the living room. He looked so worried when he saw her sitting there hugging herself: completely defensive body language. "I am so sorry about that," he said as he sat on the sofa next to her. "That wasn't supposed to happen. I gave her the light so she could take her insulin shot but you got here before she finished so, yeah. Are you okay?"

Monique just stared at him for a minute then shook her head. "I just wasn't expecting that at all. It was...um, shocking." She giggled nervously as she put a hand to her forehead. "Did you say she has to do insulin shots? Isn't that for diabetes?" This was just getting more and more confusing.

Barry nodded slowly. "Yeah, she has diabetes."

"Does that mean..."

"No, I don't have diabetes. She's the only one who has it that's why she has to take shots."

Monique just shook her head. "This is just so much confusion."

Barry moved closer to her. "I know and I'm so sorry. Meeting Jade that way probably didn't make it any better. Are you sure you're okay, Mo'?"

She nodded. "I'm okay, just feeling a little dizzy."

"I'll get you some water. Just relax." Barry gently squeezed her shoulder before going to the kitchen. He returned and offered her a glass of water.

After a drink she was feeling better so Barry showed her around. There was really only the living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The dining room was more a space than an actual room. It was also a rather busy recreational space. There was a book shelf filled with books on various topics, a canvas she was pretty sure was where the lovely paintings at the front of the house were concieved and a mannequine which she assumed to be his. There were other things mingling together as well, but Monique got a headache trying to register everything she saw.

They returned to the living room where Barry proceeded to tell her a little more about their situation over a plate of fruit and sandwhiches, which Monique helped put together to calm her nerves. "So, I have the power to give the light to whoever I want to have it for however long. I'm the leader so I have to keep everyone happy, you know? After what happened someone had to take charge and make sure we could still function."

Monique nodded as she bit into an apple slice. "So you're kind of like the protector, huh? You make sure they don't get into trouble or get hurt or anything?"

"Yeah, that's it." He smiled at her as he adjusted his position on the sofa. "Can I ask you a question, Mo'?" She nodded quickly. "Why are you here? No offense, but you didn't seem like the type of person to just go along with something like this and it must be a lot for you to handle with your...handicap, I guess. Why did you decide to trust me?"

Monique looked at her hands then back to him. "It doesn't mean anything to other people when they bump into a stranger or hold the door for someone. When you helped me, that was the longest time I had spoken to anyone other than Terrence in a long time. I was going to let it end there, no contact, go on about my life like everyone else. If I hadn't seen you at the zoo that night I might have forgotten about you." She couldn't keep looking at him so she averted her gaze to her hands.

"I'm weak, I know that, that's why Terrence is so protective of me. Just speaking to someone like I'm doing right now, I get short of breath and my head hurts and all these things start happening to me...but when I saw you that night suffering by yourself while I had Terrence to protect me I knew I wanted to help you too. At that time I wouldn't have guessed what was wrong but I thought that if I was just there for you to have someone to talk to sometimes then I would be helpful."

Barry looked a little uncomfortable but he understood what was being said. She was a weak person trying to be strong for someone else because she couldn't be that for herself. "I appreciate that, really," he said. "Thank you for telling me that Mo'. You're a sweet heart. I can see why Terrence would want to keep you to himself."

At the mention of his name she visibly deflated. Barry didn't miss the change. "What happened?"

"He was waiting at my house when I went home to change my clothes. He asked me where I was going and I couldn't tell him I was coming to see you."

"Why not?"

"Because, Barry, he's convinced you're running a game on me. You missed the dinner and then the entire week you didn't call or anything. I told him you apologized about the dinner thing but after what you told me, I couldn't risk him asking about coming with me so I told him I was going to get groceries."

Barry rolled his eyes. "You're terrible," he said as he picked up a sandwich. "This is gonna be bad if you don't-"

Her phone rang. They looked at each other. Monique slowly fished her phone out of her bag. Why did she have to make things so much worse than they really had to be? Why not just tell him, have that fight and move on? But she was sneaking around behind his back now- it was beyond just a lie. She wanted to let it ring but that would surely just make it worse.

 _"Hey, Mo'."_ She had pressed the answer icon while debating the action in her mind. _"How was your shopping trip?"_

She switched the output to speaker. "I haven't gone yet," she said with forced calm. "I'm taking some time to myself for a while after that talk...you know."

 _"You're not still upset about that, are you? I told you I'd support whatever you decided to do."_

"I-I know, but it just gave me a lot to think about. Can I call you back later?"

 _"Yeah, of course. I'll be here if you want to talk."_

"Thanks, baby. I'll call you later." The call ended and she put the phone back in her bag. "This is probably the worse thing I've ever done but I just have this really bad feeling that if he met you now it might not end so well."

Barry narrowed his eyes at her as he bit into his sandwich then sighed. "Mo', if you're afraid of him meeting us then why even try? You can't keep lying to your boyfriend."

Monique shook her head. "I don't want to keep lying to him but I don't want the conflict either. It's just..." Her hands shook as she stood from the couch. "I should go."

"Mo'..."

"No, I...I should go. It's getting late. I'll call you tomorrow." As she turned and walked briskly to the door Barry followed. "I can't do this right now."

He grabbed her wrist and turned her back to face him. "Call him." She shook her head and tried to pull away but he wouldn't let go. "You can't keep lying to your boyfriend and if you're serious about this then you need to be honest with him."

Monique's chest rose and fell with each increasingly heavy breath she took. "No, Barry, I-"

"If you're lying to him then you're lying to me," he said. "Call him right now and invite him over. We're going to get through this together. I don't like to see you so upset about this."

She nodded as she covered her face with her free hand. Both of them were off, there was no excuse this time. She couldn't get out of it. Barry released her hand to go grab his coat and shoes. Monique focused on steadying her breathing until he returned to walk her out.

* * *

A/N: I appreciate all the comments, follows and favorites on this story! I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this story and I just love the feedback. I also like that some of you find Monique to be sweet or adorable. I wasn't sure how her character would be received but I'm glad that it was as such. Also, I was starting to think that Terrence was a jerk too but I thought it was just me. Thank you all so much for reading! :)


	10. Chapter 10

Monique called Terrence from the car and invited him over for a few hours. If he would actually want to stay a few hours is another thing all together. Monique paced in the living room, trying desperately to calm her nerves. Barry tried to talk her into sitting down but she just ignored him. How could she relax when the one thing she had been dreading was about to happen. He wasn't a bad guy, but he had become a little aggressive when talking about Barry.

When the knock came to the door she froze. Barry had to push her to the door. He stepped back as she opened the door and hugged Terrence rather rigidly. He kissed her then looked up. She hated the way his body tensed when he saw Barry. "And this is..."

"This is Barry," Monique said as she stepped back to let him inside. "The friend I've been telling you about. Barry this is Terrence, my boyfriend."

Terrence offered his hand and Barry shook it firmly. "I'm glad to finally meet you," Terrence said, not a single hint of a smile on his voice.

Monique stood with her back to the door after closing it. "Barry thought to take this opportunity to go ahead and meet you since both of you were free tonight."

They moved to the couch and Monique sat in her recliner. She couldn't bring herslef to sit with either one or between them. Terrence seemed to ease up a little as he got to really look at him. "So, you're the one Mo's been telling me about. I wasn't sure what to make of you from what she told me, but I'm glad I was wrong about some things."

Barry smiled at that. "Well, I hope I haven't disappointed, at least."

"Oh, no, no don't worry about it. She did tell me you missed the dinner because of medical reasons. Are you, uh, in good health now?"

"I'm completely fine," Barry said with a shrug. "I think it was nerves. I was sick to my stomach but the next morning I was better than good. I do feel bad about that though."

Terrence held up his hands. "As long as you're fine now, that's all that matters. So, where did you meet Mo'?"

"I happened to catch her in a nasty fall while I was leaving a friend's spot and..." He put up his hands and shrugged, "the rest is history."

Terrence seemed to think for a moment. He didn't look upset but Monique didn't like it. "Now, I have to be honest- that's just the way I am, I don't mean any offence by it- but that woman over there is the most important person to me as of this moment and every day I wake up. She's the most gentle and well meaning person I've met in a long time. If anything happens to her while she is with you I won't hesitate to look into that myself. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Terrence," Monique sat upright in her chair. "Calm down, please."

"I am calm," he replied without looking at her.

Barry nodded. "Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't let anything happen to her. She reached out to me when I really needed it so she's someone I want to keep safe too." His brow furrowed and he sounded a little uneasy but he was doing his best to keep himself steady. "If she's with me she's safe."

Terrence watched Barry's face as he spoke. He wasn't exactly the deepest, most contemplative man Monique knew, but he was looking at Barry like he was looking for some sort of flaw. Like he was trying to catch him in a lie. He certainly didn't beat around the bush at all. Monique hugged herself as she watched them interact. Terrence asked him a few more questions and Barry complied, slowly unfurling his body as the night went on.

What Monique had been afraid of was Terrence getting defensive and putting too much stress on Barry. She wasn't sure if he would remain in control or if he would pass the light to another alter to handle the situation. She had read that you can't really tell when the alter switched. It was subtle. She watched Barry so closely as they went on it might have been creepy if he had been looking at her, but they were too busy sizing each other up.

Monique did not relax at all during the night until Terrence decided to leave due to the hour being late. "I have an early start tomorrow so I better get going," he said as he stood from the couch. Barry followed suit and stuck a hand in his coat pocket. "I'm glad we finally got to talk. I can't be there all the time so I'm trusting her to you." They shook hands once again.

Barry nodded. "I understand, don't worry about it. She's like the sister I'd never had."

They laughed all the way to the door. "Alright, maybe I'll catch you some other time, Barry?"

"Yeah. Some other time."

"Bye Mo'." He hugged her good and tight one last time then walked out to his car. "Oh, hey, you need a ride?"

"Uh, sure. Good night Mo'."

She waved to them both. "Please be nice," she called after them.

"Haven't I been this whole time?"

Monique honestly wasn't sure she'd call what transpired "niceties", but they didn't fight. It was better to find out just how good he was at a crap eating grin now rather than later. Some of his concerns were put to rest, but he was still a man so he would surely be waiting for Barry to slip up. She was also kind of glad they were so wrapped up in finding faults in each other that her lie never came into question. She opted to forget that whole thing ever happened.

The ride was awkwardly quiet. Terrence dropped a word here or there but ultimately it was just the most painful silence. He didn't stop scrutinizing him since he closed the door and started the engine. Barry could tell that there was more he wanted to say but he wouldn't say it in front of Monique. Honestly, he wasn't feeling another round of twenty questions.

"Monique doesn't have friends," Terrence said as they stopped at a red light. "She's not the most social person but she tries. I've seen her good intentions turn out badly."

"Mo's like a sister to me," Barry said, revisiting an earlier statement. "I don't want anything from her. It's not like that between us." He folded his arms and sighed. It was nice in theory, but his worry was starting to wear on Barry's patience and his head was starting to throb. "We're kind of the same, Mo' and I. I don't usually reach out to people either, but, you know, there was something about her that reminded me of myself. I'm not gonna let anything happen to her, okay? I don't want anything more than friendship, I'm not using her- in fact, I want to protect her just like you do."

Terrence fell silent after that. He didn't speak again until he asked how far they had to go to reach his home. It was a little ways from Monique's place so Barry just asked to be dropped off in front of a familiar restaurant. He'd rather walk the rest of the way home then sit in the strained silence of the car any longer. He thanked him for the ride and politely declined the offer to take him all the way home.

His head was pounding by that point and it was becoming harder to keep the pain off his face. When Terrence finally pulled off and his headlights disappeared, Barry grasped onto the nearest building to keep himself upright. He squeezed his eyes closed against the throbbing pain. It was happening again. He was fighting to stay in control.

Someone was trying to take the light again but he couldn't tell who with the headache pounding away. He didn't live close enough to think he could even start to make it back home. He crumpled to the ground, gripping his head tightly. None of the others spoke: they couldn't. Barry called out to them but they didn't say a word. It was them again.

He groped at his pockets until he grabbed his phone and snatched it out. His vision was blurry but he tapped away at the onscreen keyboard, hoping the right words were coming out.

 _"pls help not home losing control."_

Monique jumped off the couch and grabbed her coat. She scanned the streets as she drove. There was still quite bit of activity despite the late hour so she couldn't drive too slow. She pulled up to a curb when she spotted someone lying on the sidewalk. She recognized the coat and scarf instantly as she practically jumped out of the car and ran to his side. "Barry? Barry! Oh my god... Barry?" He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. "Can you stand?"

She pulled him to his feet and helped him into her car. She took him home but something just didn't feel right about leaving him alone. Barry looked up at her with narrowed eyes. "Mo', you gotta go- you can't be here right now," he said shaking his head. "You have to leave now."

"No, Barry, I'm not leaving you," she said. "Not until I know you're okay."

"You need to go."

"No, Barry," she said as sternly as she could manage. "I'm not leaving you, not now."

She took his hand and held onto it tightly. Never had she felt so useless in her life as she did watching him fight this inner battle. Monique wanted to help him but there was nothing for her to do but watch. She couldn't do a thing for him.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all so much for the story love! I'm just shouting out to everybody this way instead of trying to individually talk to each of you because it makes me feel more like it's all of us together. So, thank you all! :)


	11. Chapter 11

The first thing Barry noticed was that it was quiet. Very quiet. The second, was that he wasn't alone in his bedroom. Monique had fallen asleep on the floor with her head and an arm over the edge of the bed. _"She seriously didn't leave."_ It was Jade who spoke. _"Barry...I saw them talking again. Last night...I don't know what they're doing, but I think it's bad. They want the light."_

"I know," Barry replied tiredly. "They almost got it last night."

 _"What happens if they get the light?"_

"I don't know, but it's not gonna be good."

The Horde, as was so affectionately named the trio of Patricia, Dennis and Hedwig, were up to something. He tried to dissuade Hedwig from their influence but he was just the same as them: now obsolete. Patricia nad Dennis, however, were far more troublesome than a mischievious child. The stories they told scared the others but it was far more unsettling that they believed them. Barry went to rinse his face in the bathroom and found Monique sitting up when he came back. She looked him up and down.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a small, uneven voice.

"I'm okay now, yeah. But I don't know for how long."

"What do you mean?"

"If you're serious about staying then I should tell you before things get out of hand." He sat on the floor in front of her. His expression was almost sad as he began to explain what they had been going through. The horde was planning something. He didn't know what but they talked to each other a lot. The others were getting anxious but it wasn't like they could just get rid of them. The other alters just wanted to live, to experience things but the horde had different ideas of what should be done.

They spoke of the pure and impure. No one understood what they were talking about. What they could understand, that no one really believed they existed, didn't bother them much. They knew they existed and that was enough. The horde wanted more.

"If one of the horde got control of the light I don't know what they would do," Barry said. "None of us are bad, we're not crazy. We're not. The horde believes it's for the good of all of us but..."

The longer Monique listened the more nervous she became. She had put so much into this friendship but now she was feeling hesitant. Barry wasn't bad and Jade wasn't bad either, but there were alters with unknown intentions. It would feel horrible if she did abandon him for the sake of her conscience then something awful happened. "What happens if they take the light from you? Will I still be able to see you again?"

"Probably not," he replied. "If they got the light from me, there's no way that I would ever get the light again. The horde would be completely in control."

"Do you think you will be able to keep it?"

"I don't know. They were close to taking it last time and the others couldn't do anything about it." He sighed heavily. "I'm not sure what's gonna to happen next time."

Monique watched the worry in his eyes and his brow and the way he frowned now. She didn't like the way it looked on his face. She liked it less that there was nothing she could do to stop him from looking that way. "I'm sorry that there's nothing I can do but ssit here and listen," she said. "You're going through all of this and me being here doesn't make it any less harder for you."

"Look, Mo'," he moved closer to her and took her hands between his, "if there was anything that you could do to help us right now, it would be to litsen. I'm gonna tell you about the other alters. Take notes if you want to, but if the they do get control of the light, you should know who you're dealing with."

Monique thought it better to record the information rather than write it down where it could be lost or thrown away. She started the recording function on her phone and listened as he explained. There were twenty-three alters- meaning twenty-two others shared this body with Barry. Jade, the only other alter she had met, was one of the younger alters. There were younger alters and older alters. They were also worried about the horde's actions and he told her that if one of them ever got a hold of the light to listen to whatever they had to say. It could only help.

The three of concern, Dennis, Patricia and Hedwig weren't like the others. From what Monique could gather they were disliked by the others but not without reason. Their behavior was more harmful than helpful considering the goal was to keep Kevin potected and sustain themselves as well. Monique nodded her undrestanding when he paused to make sure she was getting everything. She stopped the recording once he was finished.

She had to break it up into three videos, but they were on her phone so she could listen to them at any time. Barry still looked as though he was unsatisfied with the whole thing, then again, who expected him to be? Out of everyone sharing that body three of them were trying to ruin it for everyone else. All of them were created out of a need to protect himself, protect Kevin, so how was creating all these problems helping him? Monique sat back against the bed and sighed. "I'm sorry you have to go through all of this," she whispered just loud enough for him to catch it. "All of you, I mean."

Barry just shook his head. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this." He slowly stood to his feet and strecthed his arms over his head. "Mo'," he called, gaining her attention instantly, "I'm gonna give the light to the others for a little while, alright?" She nodded. "They've been wanting to meet you," he said with probably the sadest smile he'd shown her yet. "They'll probably want to go out or something so...yeah. They're good people though. We all are..." He added the last part slowly. She knew it was more to reassure her than himself but he just looked so sad.

"It's okay, Barry," she said, moving up to sit on the edge of his bed. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Monique watched as the light in his eyes became brighter and a smile came to his face. She had only met one other alter other than Barry so she could only guess as to who had control now. "Are you seriously staying with us?" It was Jade.

"Yeah," she said hesitantly. "Do you think I shouldn't?"

Jade folded her arms over her chest. "I don't think it's smart, no, but I hope you will. It's nice to have someone else to look forward to seeing sometimes."

Monique smiled at how she fidgeted with embarrassment as she spoke. "I'll stay here as long as you want me to."

Monique left the room to give Jade a chance to change her clothes. She sat on the sofa and waited patiently while taking the time to collect herself. It was still a little unsettling watching the change happen right in front of her eyes. His demeanor changed slightly and there wasn't a big show of it. He could give away the light or one of the others- the dangerous ones- could get it and she probably wouldn't even know. Honestly, that thought scared her.

Jade emerged with an unzipped hoodie, a tank top underneath and yoga pants. She sat on the sofa next to Monique and turned to her. "So, are you going to live here with us?"

"Here? Here with you?"

"Well, not _here_ because we don't- Crap," she groaned.

"You don't live here?" Monique asked, kind of afraid of the answer.

Jade sighed. "We've really only ever been here a couple times."

"Why aren't you living here? Where are you living if not here?"

"I really shouldn't say that much," she said turning away from her. "But Barry said we stay away so that we don't draw attention. The only reason we've come here is to get stuff and then the two times you've come to visit. Barry is still trying to protect us even now...and even still from you."

Monique sat back into the sofa and stared across the room at the paintings. It wasn't the easiest thing to hear, but obviously he was still hiding things about himself from her. He was protecting the others so she wasn't really upset with him. Even though they acted and spoke differently, they did share the same body and had to look out for themselves- for each other. They were all they had.

"He does like you," Jade spoke up after a minute of uncomfortable silence. "He says you have good intentions but he doesn't want you to get hurt if he loses control of the light." She watched Monique for some kind of reaction.

Monique just sighed heavily and pat her knees. "I'm not upset," she said turning to face her. "I understand why he did it. I did the same thing to him so really there's no reason to be upset. It's his decision and we've only known each other for about a month so it's not that big of a deal."

Jade smiled then got up from the couch. "I need to eat something and then probably take another shot." She rolled her eyes as she went back to the bedroom. "I still don't really understand," she called from the back. "If we're really all in one body then why the hell am I the only one who has to take these? There are others who have way worse habits than mine and they're completely fine." She returned to the front and looked at Monique who was smiling at her. "Do you get what I mean? I mean, it's like..." She just shook her head and walked into the kitchen.

Monique just giggled. She understood how that could be frustrating and just all around confusing but the way she sounded when complaining about it was too amusing. She was a teenager after all. Monique got up and stood at the counter while Jade searched the frige. It was a small place, just enough space for one person to live comfortably, much like her house. It was also a little lonely.

"Um, Jade," she asked, drawing her attention from her current task, "If you don't stay here then what food do you have to eat here?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Not much but Barry went out to buy some the other day."

"Can I see what you have?" she asked as she moved around the counter.

Jade stepped back and let her look through the refrigerator. Monique hummed as she started to take out things and hand them off to Jade. Once she was satisfied, or the frige was half emptied, she moved on to the cabinets. She look over the spread and nodded approvingly. They had pasta, bread, chicken, eggs, a block of cheese, flour, salad vegetables and a few other things. They hadn't exactly stocked up but then again they weren't residing in the apartment.

"I see a few possibilities here," she said, tapping her chin. "But, uh, from what I know about diabetes, you shouldn't eat a lot of things like rice, bread and pastas. Even without that there's chicken, vegetables and cheese. That's actually sounds really good right about now." She smiled at Jade who smiled back at her.

They put everything else back and Monique fished out the cooking tools. She cut the chicken into short strips while Jade cut the vegetables. The apartment was smelling good just from the spices she had added to the chicken. Jade peeked at the pan occasionally as she used some of the vegetables to make a salad. Monique added the vegetables once the chicken was throughly cooked.

Jade covered the salad and leaned on the counter next to Monique. "Is this what you do?" she asked suddenly, startling Monique for some unknown reason.

She looked to her then the pan and shook her head. "No, I-I'm a photographer. I take pictures for one of the newspapers."

Jade looked her up and down. "Do you like it?"

Monique shrugged. "I like taking photos and it's kind of exciting being so close to the action instead of reading about it or seeing it on tv."

"Barry says that you're afraid of, like, talking to people. But you're talking to me just fine."

She smiled as she stirred the pan's contents. "I have cooking to busy myself. If I don't say anything it's not wierd because I'm busy, but I do have a had time interacting with people." She put the spoon down and looked at her. "Until a few minutes ago my chest was hurting and I had a ridiculous headache." She rubbed at her eyes and sighed. "And it's still there."

"What's wrong with you?" Jade asked, meaning no offense in the slightest.

Monique shook her head. "Social anxiety. I just don't do well in social situations. I get nervous and it escalates, sometimes into an anxiety attack."

Jade frowned. "Then you must not really like your job."

"It's a wierd profession for someone like me to choose, yes, but I was going to have to interact with people no matter what career I chose. In the end I just went with one that allowed me to do something I like." She turned the burner off but continued to stir the mixture. "I think it's ready for the cheese."

Jade grabbed the block and used the small grater to grate it into the pan. Monique stirred it in as she added it. It looked even better drenched in cheese when they were finished. Jade bit her lip as she watched Monique move to the cabinet and retrieve two plates. "I think there's enough for all of you to have some," she said as she handed Jade a plate.

"Thanks," she replied.

They ate at the coffee table in silence. Monique seemed surprised by her own creation. It was good and rather quick to make too. The cheese was a request by one of the alters, but Jade wouldn't dare tell her that just to worry her. There was food and no one had to cook so they should be happy. After she fiished eating, Jade grudgingly took a shot of insulin.

Monique felt comfortable enough to ask a few questions once they were full and relaxed. She couldn't help asking about the others. There were 23 of them. She would keep asking until she met them because it was just too curious a thing. Jade talked casually with her, giving a little more of a personal list of what the others were like. Monique listened with genuine interest. It was all the more amusing listening to her talk about the others when she got really heated and her tongue was looser.

Sadly, it wasn't meant to last long as she had to pass the light on to someone else. They pouted at each other before joining in a tight hug. "Now that we've actually got to talk, I'm kind of upset with Barry for keeping you to himself."

Monique smiled at her as she turned to go back to the room so the next alter could change their clothes.

* * *

A/N: Thank you, all of you, who have been commenting, following and reading my story so far! I'm just so happy so many people are reading it and still following since I'm sure the build up here is so slow. Thank you guys. :)


	12. Chapter 12

After Jade left, Monique was introduced to Orwell. As it turned out, half the books on the book shelf in the would be dining area were his. He was quite knowledgeable when it came to history but she was not so the conversation was lost on her. Monique nodded and tried her best to look interested in what he was saying though she was having the hardest time following him with all the references. History was not her best subject. She was still interested in him and his knowledge nonetheless.

When she asked him a question he always answered with some historical reference. He was so passionate about it she was far too embarrassed to say she couldn't follow half of what he was talking about so she just let him talk and listened. When his time was up she got to meet the painter. This alter was a woman and she was just the most peaceful person Monique thought she had ever met. Norma, as she was called, told a little about herself. She was the manifestation of his want for motherly attention. She wore a long dress with short sleeves and an apron where she held rags and cleaning spray.

"Patricia is similar to myself, but much more strict. She is...she is willing to take drastic measures that I would prefer not to," Norma said as she went about the apartment tidying up things. "She does it now through the stories she tells that makes us uncomfortable and scares the children." She looked from away from the bookcase where she was putting the books in order to Monique. "I know she has something to do with what has been happening with the light."

Monique helped her straighten up by putting away Barry's things. "Barry told me about the horde. It doesn't sound like it'll be good if they take it from him."

Norma turned to face her and clasped her hands together. "I appreciate that you want to stay with us, but I am concerned for your well being, dear."

Monique moved the manequine to a further corner of the room. "And I'm concerned for yours. Barry isn't my only friend, I care about all of you and if those other alters are going to do something terrible with this body that all of you share, then all of you are going to get in trouble."

Norma nodded sadly. "That's sweet of you, dear, really, but surely you have someone you care about. Someone you wouldn't want to lose?"

"I have a boyfriend."

"Oh, what's he like?" she asked in a softly curious tone.

Monique sighed. "He's understanding and caring and I found out yesterday just how protective he was. I like knowing that there's someone I can always count on."

Norma nodded as she checked over the bookcase. "That's good, honey, but please don't sacrifice that happiness for us."

"I'm not leaving you, okay? I can't now that I've gotten involved."

Norma sighed heavily but dropped the topic. It had Monique a little riled up and she felt bad about it but she was getting tired of saying over and over that she wasn't going anywhere. They were worried about her because of what the horde was saying, though they hadn't gone into detail, and she thier concerns. There was no way she was going to know about an issue with someone she knew and just ignore it. Monique put her mind on other things, like, how she had slowly gotten comfortable with the space. She was even more comfortable speaking with the alters now.

After cleaning the apartment, Monique had to ask if she could have one of her paintings. It was apparently something she did every now and then, painting, and she gladly relinquinshed one of her paintings to her. She could choose whichever one she wanted from the wall or the ones in the dining area. Norma hugged her one last time then the light was passed on to someone else.

The whole day she didn't think about work, she admitedly wasn't thinking about Terrence and she tried not to think about the horde. She was meeting the other alters and she didn't want to think about anything that would stress her. They were all interesting parts of this person's personality. None of them seemed to have any ill will in them; some were stern or embarrassingly blunt but none of them seemed maliscious. Monique was starting to wonder if the horde had been the same way and just changed over time. It didn't feel good to be pushed to the back of anything and treated like you were unnecssary.

By evening she knew she had to go back home. The other night she had stayed incase his conditioned worsened since she didn't know what was really going on, but now she thought it wouldn't be too bad to leave them for the night. "Call me if anything happens," she told Goddard, the alter currently in the light. "My number is in the phone, just call me, it doesn't matter what time it is, okay?" He nodded quickly.

She had a bad feeling about leaving him alone. Everything had been fine that day but she just couldn't shake the feeling that it was only a passing peace. Monique returned home and called Terrence. It felt like a touchy subject, but she was worried about Barry and the others. She let him know that Barry wasn't feeling well and she was concerned that something might happen to him. He, of course, was a not happy to hear of her decision, but just told her to call him if anything happened or if she needed him.

It was obviously not an ideal situation for him, but he couldn't deny her the interaction. He would just call her every now and then to make sure things were okay. Terrence didn't know about Barry and the others. As far as he knew he had a physical condition so of course he wouldn't press the issue. Monique wanted to keep it that way. If he knew then he would definitely be against her being with him and even more so staying with him.

Monique packed clothes for a week and an extra pair of shoes. It may have been a little extreme but if the power to control the light was stolen from Barry then surely they wouldn't call her. She wanted to be there to jump into action whenever it happened. She paused as she closed up her bag. What was she doing? If Monique was honest she was overreacting. They hadn't turned her away and welcomed her company so she was just trying to hold on tighter to them.

Was she really doing it because she cared about them or because she didn't want to be alone anymore? Monique plopped down on the couch and put her face into her hands. It didn't feel good to think that she was using them but she couldn't tell herself she wasn't. _Even if I'm there that doesn't garauntee that things will go the way I want it to. And then what if they are dangerous? The others are worried about me. I'm worried about them... If I go then I'm being selfish and putting myself in a bad situation. If I don't then there won't be anyone to stop the horde if they get control of the light._

Her mind reeled over this for as long as she let it. Monique decided to sleep on it and if she still thought it best to go after her nap then she would just go.

Mr. Pritchard had the light now to take care of some things. Barry was sleeping now. He was just too tired to carry on, but they knew what they were supposed to do. If anything happend then they were supposed to wake him. Before he fell to sleep he had a little chat with Hedwig. He wanted to believe he could still turn the child alter, that he wasn't completely lost, so he gave him the task of making sure no one skipped their turn and if they did he was meant to wake him up.

That was the last mistake he would make. No one payed much attention to him because he was supposed to be with Dennis and Patricia, where they could ignore him. This is what gave them their opportunity. If he tried anything then surely the others would be more than enough to put him back in his place.

"This our chance," Patricia whispered. "Do this and we can finally have our time. They will not ridicule us anymore once they have seen it for themselves. They will understand and so will everyone else."

Hedwig nodded quickly. They wouldn't make fun of him anymore. They wouldn't treat Mr. Dennis and Mrs. Patricia like freaks anymore. They would understand that it was for their benefit as well. Hedwig did as he was told and kept watch until Barry woke again.

"I did what you told me," he said when Barry called him over after waking. "I didn't want anybody to get upset to so I stayed with Mrs. Patricia, but I did what you wanted me to."

"That's good Hedwig," he said. "Since you helped me today, I'm going to let you have the light for a little while, okay?"

Hedwig nodded quickly. "Can I play outside? Just for one minute!"

"No, Hedwig, you have to stay inside," Barry said sternly. "You can do whatever you want inside, but you can't go outside, right?"

The boy pouted and folded his arms.

Barry pat his shoulder. "The more time you spend making a fuss the less time you have in the light," he reminded him.

Hedwig accepted the light from Barry, still pouting though as he did. Hedwig slowly opened his eyes and looked around the apartment with a frown. The others had things to do around the house but all of his things were elsewhere. So, in order to leave his own little mark on the place he drew a few pictures and stuck them up on the wall among Norma's paintings and in the dining room where the bookshelf was. He sat down to watch some tv for another hour or so- the pictures took him all of an hour to make and then decide where to put them up.

After two hours had passed Barry came to take the light from him. "Time's up," he said from his chair. "Hedwig..."

Hedwig shook his head, "No, no not yet."

"Hedwig. If you don't behave I won't give you the light again." Barry said sternly.

"I have the light now and you can't take it from me."

Barry reached out to take it from the child but he couldn't. It didn't move from the boy's hands. Panic began to rise in his eyes and Hedwig smiled. He couldn't do anything- Barry was powerless now. "If it isn't your turn then you have to stay in your chair," Hedwig said. "You have to stay in your chair now."

He looked down at the light shining in his hands with bright eyes and mouth open in a wide grin. "I did it! I got the light and now I can control it!"

"Do you see now how important you are?" Patricia said from her chair. "This is why they wanted to keep you out of the light."

"Hedwig," Barry called to him, holding up his hands. "You don't have to do this."

"I don't like when they make fun of me," Hedwig said. He slowly walked out of the center and closer to Patricia. "You made fun of me too."

Barry had been the one to ban them from the light. He had told them that they weren't needed anymore. Dennis, Barry, Hedwig and Patricia were the first alters. They had become irrelevent but he had stayed in the light. It wasn't fair. Still he had done what he felt had to be done.

Patricia accepted the light from Hedwig. She opened her eyes and took in a deep breath. Glancing around the room, she spotted the coat hanger by the door. After being out of the light for so long, she wasn't against a leisurely walk. Patricia took Barry's coat and left the apartment.


	13. Chapter 13

When Monique woke up from her nap she checked her phone to make sure she wasn't missing any messages. There was one from Terrence in response to her earlier message about staying with Barry. It didn't sound like he was strictly against it, but she could tell he wasn't happy about it. With her mind going right back to Barry she realized that things could get complicated if they weren't already with him staying in the apartment after being gone for years. Maybe it would be better if they didn't go back.

He would have to tell her where they were living now then. She called out of work before venturing back to Barry, er, Kevin's apartment. Needless to say the editor was not happy to hear her excuses after a no-show and no call day before. Monique hurried back to the apartment, only to find that no one was home. Of course she didn't ask anyone if they had seen him because he wasn't really supposed to be there so she instead she headed to the zoo.

Monique walked around the zoo ignoring the animals she usually gazed at for hours at a time. She asked around for him but it seemed he was busy elsewhere since not many had seen him about that day. Since she had assumed him to be working she didn't want to call him so early, but now she had no choice. As long as he responded she didn't care if it was late. She walked around the zoo for a little while and grabbed lunch.

She stayed as long as she could care to but she was just loitering about by the afternoon. She looked at her phone's clock and sighed heavily. _I've been walking around all day and haven't sseen him once. Maybe I can just meet him back at Kevin's house._ As she made her way back toward the entrance her phone vibrated in her pocket. Even though she had been looking for him all morning Monique wasn't exactly ecstatic to get the text message.

 _"Hey Mo'. I'm doing a lot better today. I think it's gonna be okay for a little while. We really appreciate you caring about us but don't forget to take care of yourself too."_

Monique slowed to a stop and looked back over her shoulder. She looked to the camera bag sitting at her hip then turned around and went to the nearest restroom. She took out her camera and put on her work ID. Slipping back out and casually strolling among the thin crowd, she took a deep breath then walked up to one of the female employees. "Hi, I'm Monique Leavings from the local paper. I was sent to cover an interview here today with one of the managers by the name of..." She picked her phone from her pocket and squinted at the screen. "I have the name Barry here?"

"Oh, really? I don't remember hearing anything about an interview this morning." She seemed hesitant to believe her but she eased up a little after Monique showed her the ID. "Alright then, if you'll follow me."

She smiled as she followed her to a back area and through a door marked employees only. Monique was left to wait as the employee went in search of said manager. She did not like the message that was sent even a little bit. Something didn't seem right about it. Maybe she was being paranoid because she hadn't seen him since yesterday but she didn't leave until the evening hours. _No. It just didn't seem like something Barry would say to me knowing how I am now._

She looked to the door when the click of the lock was heard. Barry came in dressed in his work clothes. "Hey, Mo', what's going on?" he asked.

She held up her camera. "I just came by to make sure everything was alright with you."

He nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine."

She stared at him, unable to keep her expression from falling to into the blank stare. Something was off but she couldn't figure out what. Judging from what Barry said he would be the one in the light during work so there was no reason for anyone else to be in control. The way his eyes shone when he looked at her, the way he said her name, even the way he was standing right then- everything said Barry. Monique frowned and shook her head. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered. "The text you sent me got me a little worried. It felt a little like you were pushing me away so..."

"Oh, no, no that wasn't it at all," Barry said as he made his way across the room to her. "No, I was saying you should take time to care for yourself because it seemed like you were going to start spending more time with me. I just don't want you to let yourself go."

She looked up at him now that he was closer. Yeah, it was Barry. "You should go. I'm probably keeping you from something important."

"You sure you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, go back to work. Sorry I bothered you." She pulled away from him and stepped back. "Hey, let me know when you're off the clock. There's something I want to talk to you about."

"I will. I'll text you, alright?"

She nodded then quickly left the room before anything else could be said. She found her way back outside without help since there was no one there to help anyhow. Home was the next destination.

When she finally got the text from Barry she had already gone over her arguement and what she would do should he refuse. She called him so that she could her his voice and get her points across.

"So, what I wanted to talk to you about is kind of important," she said. "Now, it's just a suggestion, but I think it's something worth thinking about. I've already talked to Terrence about it and he doesnt like it but he didn't say no."

Barry chuckled lightly. _"What is it Mo'?"_

"I think that we should consider roomates."

 _"You mean the two of us?"_ he asked.

"Um, yeah," she said. "You can't stay at the apartment, it'll draw attentino right? Jade told me you don't live there."

 _"Well, we don't but our place is good. What- You think we should supervised?"_ His tone hinted at offense. _"You think we're crazy and we're gonna hurt ourselves."_

Monique cursed under her breath. "No, Barry, I don't think that at all. I'm sorry. I hadn't thought the suggestion would come off like that but it's not what I meant."

 _"I thought you believed us..."_

"Wait, slow down. I was only suggesting it because of how concerned you were about the horde. If you do lose control then at least there would be someone there to stop them from doing anything wrong."

There was silence for a short while. _"You think you can stop them?"_

"I don't know but I would rather try than sit back and watch them do terrible things with the body that you and the others have to share as well. I'd hate myself even more if I did that."

 _"Look, Mo', you're a good person and I know you want to help but what would be more helpful for us is if you would stay as far from us as possible. I don't want to come back and find out that my friend was hurt by my hands. I don't want that to happen Mo'."_

Monique sat on the edge of her bed and laid back. "I understand...but if it could be stopped wouldn't you want it to? Do you want me to sit back and just let it happen?"

 _"I don't want you to get hurt Mo',"_ he said. _"Please...just... It's alright if we talk, but I think we should keep some distance between us."_

Monique wanted to push the issue so badly. She wanted to state her arguement and all of her support for the idea, but it was his body and it was about him. If he didn't want to do it then who was she to argue with him. She was just a little shocked by him even refusing the idea as strongly as he did. It truly hurt her heart. "Alright," she said after a long pause. "If you don't want to do it then forget I even said anything about it. Nevermind. I'm sorry I even brought it up."

 _"You were just trying to help,"_ he said. _"We appreciate it Mo', but you shouldn't put yourself in danger like that. What would Terrence do if he found out something happened to you?"_

"Fine, fine. I get it," she replied. "I'll forget about it."

 _"Thanks. I just want you to be safe."_

 _Yeah, yeah,_ she thought but said, "Everyone does..."

 _"I've had kind of a long day but I'll text you tomorrow,"_ Barry said. _"Please don't be upset with me, hun. I promise it's what's best for both of us."_

Monique sighed exhasperatedly. "I'm not. It's whatever you want to do- this is about you."

 _"Thanks. I'll talk to you tomorrow."_

"Bye."

Monique just laid there staring up at her ceiling blankly. That was not how she was expecting the conversation to go at all. Resistance was expected, of course, but not that kind. She had convinced that he would at least have understood where she was coming from but he was offended by the notion. She rolled onto her side and covered her face. Not once had she ever felt so horrible after talking with Barry. It was something akin to betrayal or realizing your great idea was actually the most insensitive thing you could have done and you probalby just ruined the longest friendship you ever had.


	14. Chapter 14

Monique didn't look for anything more from him. They text and chatted over the phone but they didn't meet up in person any more. Maybe she was moving too fast and completely belittled him without even thinking about it. How rude could she be? To not see him anymore was a just punishment. Surely the last thing he wanted was to be treated like a crazy person. It hadn't seemed that way to her but it did to him and that's all that mattered.

The guilt weighed on her for weeks. It was like a stab to the heart every time she thought about it. The time he spent on the phone with her became few and far in-between too. When she text him he didn't always get back to her the same day anymore. Her heart was sinking steadily with each passing day. She had completely ruined her first friendship. Her first real friendship.

The ability to go to work every day and put up with the stress it caused was slowly leaving her. All Monique could think about was Barry. All the time. Sometimes she thought about Terrence, but be was there and would always be as far as she was concerned. Barry wouldn't be and he was slipping away from even then. As she stared up at her bedroom ceiling she slowly lifted her phone over her face.

"I guess I just can't have nice things," she told herself as she opened the last conversation she had with Barry. His texts were also a little weird. "He's probably trying to end it gently by putting some distance between us. Then one day I'll text him and he won't reply. Ever." Her arm fell back to the bed and the phone bounced to the floor. I'm miserable but I don't want to kill my phone because of it. She picked it up and looked over their messages again.

Her stomach was protesting the lack of food that day so she decided it was time for walk to some eatery. It would be quite a walk but as distracted as she was driving didn't seem like a good idea. She put on her coat and a hat just to make herself feel secure. The crappier she felt the more layers she wore and the less she ate. Relationships were a very heavy thing for her. Luckily, she hadn't seen Terrence much the past few weeks either. He definitely would have noticed how lethargic she was.

Walking woke her up a little, but she still only managed half open eyes. It was just too hard. One minute she thought they would be best friends for ever. She thought he was going to be at her wedding! Not that Terrence had proposed or anything...yet. If she hadn't run him off yet then surely he was there to stay. But one stupid, selfish statement and she was without anyone to talk to all over again.

Monique was vaguely aware of her surroundings as she walked into the city. Since her eating habits were practically none existent, she was feeling the walk all over her body. But she could ignore it for the ache inside. A little sandwich shop caught her eye so she settled there for lunch. As she sat waiting at the table her phone rang and she immediately jumped to her feet, slapping all of her pockets because she suddenly forgot where it was. When she found it she immediately unlocked it. A message from Barry sat on her home screen.

Her chest tightened but she tried to calm herself with deep breaths. Barry. As she skimmed over the text she lowered herself back into her seat. It was an address, time and rather specific directions. Though it had been a while, Monique recognized it as the zoo's address. She read it over and over until the server brought her sandwich. The momentary relief of receiving the text eased her just enough to stomach food but she was out of there in five minutes.

The time is later tonight, but I can make sure of where I'm going first. She made her way to the zoo knowing full well that was what the address was to then went home. She had gotten a little too excited and now she was feeling dizzy.

Monique knew something had been off about him. The text only confirmed her worries. She waited a good few yards away just so she wouldn't seem as confrontational. It was likely that whoever had the light, and she had a bad feeling about who did, already knew she'd be there. It could be safely assumed at this point that Barry was not the one in control.

She watched as pedestrians strolled by. Couples, friends, and some just out for a solo venture walked past her. It wasn't until later that she saw him. It wasn't any of the other alters she met either. He was wearing glasses.

So, some of them have bad eyes too? She watched as he crossed the street, hands in his pockets and a stern expression on his face. Taking a deep breath she casually- or as casually as she could manage to- started to walk towards him. I'm sure he knows I'm here. This is no surprise. Don't show him you're hesitant. Be easy. She tried to calm herself but it hadn't worked by the time she was close enough to force eye contact.

"Hey," she blurted out before she could stop herself. "Barry... You're not him...are you?"

He sighed heavily. "So, you came. I was hoping to break it off without every having to do this-"

"Are you Dennis?" Monique slowly walked toward him with her hands out. "Look, I don't want any trouble, okay? I-I just want to make sure the others are okay. That no one gets hurt."

He turned to her with a frown set in his features. "That's why you'll never understand. None of you will ever understand. You need to leave. Now."

Monique quickly closed the distance between them and grabbed his arm. "No, I can't. I said I wouldn't leave them. Please, Dennis, don't shut me out. I was just getting in."

He shrugged her off. "You're just like them."

"I'm not! I believe you! I believe that all of you are who you say you are." Monique sighed heavily. "I don't think you're crazy, I just think you're hurt. You came from pain and now you're in pain. I just want to help you. I don't want to treat you like a lunatic, I just want to help you."

Dennis opened the gate and went inside without a word. He didn't even look at her as he closed it. Monique wanted to say something more but her voice was gone. He didn't care about those things. He had some kind of agenda with the others. There was something they were working towards. If only she were better at this communication thing. Maybe she could talk him into letting her in.

Well, she knew where they were now but it didn't feel like as much of a victory as she thought it would. She was going to have to learn to do something she dreaded. No, not lying. Monique was going to have to learn how to tell people exactly what they wanted to hear.


	15. Chapter 15

Now that she had met this other alter Monique was admittedly feeling both relieved and panicked. He wasn't going to let her get any closer. Monique was able to pull herself together and return to work, not that anyone was missing her or was worried about what happened to her. She slipped right back into her groove and kept moving. On top of how busy she suddenly was, she was also thinking on how to gain Dennis' trust.

It wasn't fair to expect him to open up to her just because the others had. Their perception of the world was different. Monique would have to learn something about him. Barry had told her things, but she needed to know what he was like. During her lunch break she called him. It was no surprise he didn't answer.

 _I know you would rather not have anything to do with me but I just want to talk. Can we at least do that?_

Now that she knew what the situation was, she could plan things out. While awaiting his possibly never coming reply, she was being run all over and given multiple photos to edit by the weekend. The editor had apparently had a bad week. Well, she wasn't complaining, more work meant more pay and she could always stay late if necessary. It was a little taxing but it would give her a boost in morale when she finished everything.

As the day was plunging into evening and the desk lamp had to be turned on, she got her reply. " _You keep saying that you want to understand and that you won't leave us alone. We're different. You aren't like us."_

 _"Does that mean I can't understand?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Why? Because you just don't think I can?"_

 _"Because no one does. It's just the way things are. Nobody understands. We aren't interested in trying to make them understand anymore. They don't care."_

Monique took a deep breath to calm herself. After being ignored and pushed away by this person, she was starting to get a little agitated. _I'm saying the exact opposite of what he's saying right now._ The conversation was going nowhere. " _How can anyone understand if you don't give them a chance to_ _?"_

" _They don't want to understand. They only want to ridicule what makes them afraid. I don't care if they do or don't. It doesn't matter anymore._ _"_

Monique tilted her head curiously. _He said_ I _that time._ She mustered up her courage to keep poking at him. " _I don't care about the other people either. I want to know you. I really care about Barry but that doesn't mean I can't care about you too."_ She left it at that and waited for his response. There was no reply too quickly after that, but by moon rise her phone was vibrating.

 _"I know what you're trying to do. It won't work."_

 _"I am not trying to do anything but figure out why you don't like me when we don't know anything about each other. I didn't suddenly not like Barry when he told me the truth. Doesn't that count for something?"_

 _"This is bigger than me or you. Whether or not you understand doesn't matter."_

 _"Then why not just tell me? Maybe I want to help you."_

 _"You want to help us?"_

 _"That's what I've been saying this whole time."_

 _"You don't even know what we're doing."_

 _"And you're not going to tell me either. You don't trust me. Don't tell me, but at least give me a chance to earn your trust."_

There was a long wait for his next reply but she considered it a good sign. That meant he was thinking about what she said. Maybe he was telling the others about it. It was a little nerve wracking but if they were all aware of the conversation then they would all be thinking about whether or not to trust her. She wasn't sure who was truly calling the shots, but she was hoping they would decide to at least give her a chance.

Monique rubbed at her tingling arms as she looked back to her computer screen. It was made all the brighter by the lowered lights in the office. She looked out the window to the moonlit buildings and it drew a yawn from her lips. She had been so occupied with her work, then the conversation with Dennis, that she hadn't really slowed down. Now she was feeling her first day back at work everywhere.

She turned off the computer and gathered her things. She finally got a reply on her way out to her car.

 _"We don't need anyone's help or understanding any more."_

Monique decided not to press the issue any longer. It was late and there was enough of a conversation to think over for now. Maybe they would even be looking over the conversation. Maybe. She didn't want to think that what the horde was intending to do was something illegal, but she had a bad feeling it would wind them up in some sort of trouble.

If they would consider letting her help them, which wasn't seeming likely, she would have to be willing to go along with their plans. For now it was an issue of trust. What they valued she assumed to be recognition, acceptance and something else personal to them. Did they still care for Kevin as Barry did? Did they still want to protect him?

It was sad to think that maybe the horde was beyond even just self-preservation. It had sounded like Dennis wanted more than that. She tried to remember what Barry had told her but she was starting to wear down. The further she got from the office the weaker she felt. Once she got home she fell into bed and gave a long, content sigh.

There wasn't much else shared between them, once again. She had been trying to analyze his responses to see if she could get a better understanding but it wasn't very deep. He had been rather straight forward with her. Now that she had something to at least start with she had to get moving. The conversation the other day had drained her more than she realized, considering the pounding headache she woke up with.

Monique was not one to push an issue, much less try to back someone into a corner. It wasn't as easy as talking to Barry. He was willing to trust her to help. Neither had been sure what to expect as far as her abilities but he still trusted her. She learned a little something about herself the other day too. When things get heated, she was capable of putting on a brave face; well, over text she could.

It was early one morning about two days after the Dennis conversation, a random morning she hadn't planned, when she decided to buy breakfast. She decided to buy breakfast for two. Well, she bought a little more than that just to be sure. Then she went on a leisurely stroll past the zoo. She had parked her car elsewhere to give herself an excuse to walk out her nerves. It wasn't apparent whether or not he, or them, was a morning person, but she was there with the intention of doing more things that made her feel like exploding.


	16. Chapter 16

It wasn't the best idea to wait up without any kind of idea as to whether or not he would even be up at that hour. The zoo was not yet open and she had three paper bags worth of breakfast along with a tall cup of peach tea and a coffee with no one to share them with. _This is just getting sad_ , she thought. _I'm really just pushing myself on him. He doesn't want anything to do with me._

"What are you doing here?" Dennis' voice had the same effect as a bucket of ice water going over her head.

First she froze, a shiver ran up her spine, her voice caught in her throat then she shook her head. Monique jumped up and turned to face him. "I-I... Uhh... I-I brought, um, breakfast! I thought maybe...we could eat together."

The look on his face wasn't making her feel any better at all. "You're not going to stop, are you?"

"No, I'm not," she replied, holding up one of the bags. "Will you eat with me...or am I going to have to eat all of this by myself?"

Dennis shook his head but he didn't say no. She started to walk away when he grabbed her wrist. "Follow me." He unlocked the gates and let her inside. Monique followed him to the far back side of the visitor's area, where a booth was set up. No one was there at the moment and Dennis urged her forward when she lingered too long. She ended up behind him when they reached a door leading down into the maintenance tunnel.

 _So he's the manager over the maintenance_ ," she thought as she followed him down the tunnel. The space was small, only a couple inches were between her shoulders and the wall but it wasn't completely unnerving. Dennis stopped at the first door and let her into a break room like area. Monique placed the bags and drinks down on the table.

Now that they weren't walking anymore, the lack of conversation was bothering her a little. She took out the contents of one of the bags and put them in front of him before taking out her own breakfast. A bagel, medium tea and an assortment of toppings for said bagel. Dennis didn't seem any more interested in the actual breakfast than he did at the notion of it. "If you don't like it I got a sandwich in another bag and some doughnuts too," she said.

"No, thank you," he said disinterestedly.

Monique looked around the room as she pinched off pieces of her bagel. It was a small room with a refrigerator and a sink. The table was taking up the majority of the only thing keeping it from reminding her of home was the odd colored lighting. It made the room feel more like a place away from everyday comforts. "So... This is where you stay?"

Dennis nodded but didn't speak.

"Does anyone know you're down here?"

"No," he said with a sigh. "Why are you still doing this? We don't want your help."

Monique looked back to him. "Some of you don't want my help. Why don't you?"

"We already talked about that," he replied. "We're not talking about it again."

"I'm sorry. I don't want to make you upset with me. I just want to help you with whatever you're going through."

Dennis shook his head. "You keep saying that but it's not enough. Dr. Fletcher believes in us too, but we can't involve her either. It's not enough to say that you believe us." He leaned forward onto the table. "You could never understand where we are. It's beyond you so explaining won't help you."

The look in his eyes sent shivers down Monique's spine again. Whatever he was talking about it just felt like something that maybe she really couldn't understand. "What's going on? I'm not gonna to leave you alone so you might as well tell me."

He sat back again, sighing and rubbing his head. "I can't. No one else is necessary but us. If I tell you, you're not gonna believe me anyway."

"Why not? I'm going along with everything else just fine," she said. "Look, if you tell me, I'll do something for you. What do you need?"

"Nothing."

Again, the conversation was going in circles. He would tell her a little bit then back off again. It was something personally important to all of them, something only they could do and they didn't need anyone else to do it. _That could be anything_ , Monique thought. _I still don't know anything! My head is starting to hurt now._

She rested her elbow on the table and set her forehead in her hand with a heavy sigh. "This is really hard for me to do, you know? It takes so much for me just to sit here right now. I know you don't know me but I don't bother doing things if I don't think it's getting me anywhere." Monique looked up, resting her chin on the back of her hands. She couldn't keep the tired look from her eyes. "Something is bothering you- all of you- and I just want to help you through whatever it is. A lot of people have hurt you but I'm not one of them. I'm still trying to be here because I think we will get somewhere. Are you really going to keep telling me I'm wrong after bringing me all the way down here?"

His expression hardened like it had when he first saw her waiting outside. "No. I don't think we need to." He suddenly left the room mumbling to himself.

Monique couldn't even think about what was happening as her head throbbed. It had to be the worst headache yet. The situation was one she had never had to deal with before and her stress levels were way too high. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She couldn't function like that, let alone call herself driving anywhere.

 _I...I just need to lay down for a minute. Just a minute._ She slowly got to her feet, which brought up the dizziness. Her head was swimming now as she stood up straight. Once she felt less like falling over, she made her way to the door and made her way out into the hallway. Dennis quickly walked up to her. "You need to-"

"I need to lay down," Monique mumbled. "Do you have somewhere I could rest for a moment?"

Dennis reluctantly helped her down the hall to another room. Monique kept closing her eyes to lessen the throbbing in her head so she had to trust him to lead her without letting her bump into anything. He unlocked another door and led her into a room. She felt something soft underneath her hand and slowly released his arm in order to lower herself onto the bed.

She laid down and instantly felt just a little better. "I'm sorry I gave you so much trouble," she whispered. "I just didn't want to lose my friend."

Dennis stood over her with his arms folded and mouth set in a stern line. He still didn't understand why she kept trying to stay, there was nothing for her. She got nothing out of staying with them. "Patricia says that you can stay," he said finally. "She thinks that you could help us...keep things moving smoothly."

Monique let her body relax against the firm mattress. _I did it. Maybe they don't trust me yet but they won't push me away anymore._ Dennis left her to rest in the room and closed the door behind himself. "I don't like her staying here," he said.

"She is willing to stay with us as long as we behave accordingly," Patricia replied. "Her staying here will make your tasks easier. Just make sure she trusts you but there is no reason to tell her any more than you have to, Dennis."

"I know that," he said. "I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"As long as you do what you're supposed to there will be no issues. Remember why we're doing this and everything will progress as planned."

* * *

A/N: Here we go! I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of glad that the whole thing has moved on to this point. I just wanted to make sure how Monique ended up in the underground area and why they decided to keep her around was not some lame reason that was really a "just because she's the OC" type of thing. I wanted it to be..."natural", if that type of thing can be natural...? I don't know. It probably still seems that way anyway.

Thank you for reading and even more for reading my paragraphs after the chapters too :P


	17. Chapter 17

It was about an hour later that Monique woke up confused and not very well rested. She was fully awake once she remembered she had not been home when she fell asleep. Her body ached as she slowly moved into a sitting position. The room she occupied was empty but for the bed she sat on. There was nothing on the walls or the floor. It wasn't very welcoming. Well, it wasn't like he was expecting anyone any time soon.

She got up and walked the length of the room. There was a bathroom. At least there was that little accommodation. Monique noticed there was another bed in the room too and that the bags from breakfast were sitting there. That effectively squashed the idea that he might have stayed in that room. It did raise the question as to what exactly the room was for. It felt odd, like it wasn't finished or something.

There wasn't much to look at in the room so she ventured to leave. She turned the handle and slowly opened the door. She remember where she was so the less noise the better. She didn't want to get him in trouble or anything. The next room held racks of clothes and seemed more like a storage area: clothes, the desk, a table, a rack on the back wall for hats and scarves but not much else.

A note on the door drew her attention. _The other employees are here. Please stay in these rooms until I come get you._ Monique sighed heavily. How long would that be? She took out her phone and looked at the time. She was already late for work. She couldn't not show up after how upset the editor was from the first time. Luckily, there seemed to be somewhat of a signal so she called in to let him know that she would be late. Seeing as it was already past the time for her to be in the office, he was rather upset, but she explained that she had a situation and wasn't sure how long it would take to rectify it.

"I'm so sorry for the inconvenience," she said. "I'm so close to finishing the work you assigned me. I can still meet the deadline."

" _Just try to get here whenever you can_ ," he said. " _I've never known you to wreck a schedule like this_. _Is everything alright with you_?"

"Y-Yes, it's fine," she said. "I'm just going through somethings. It's nothing serious."

" _If you say so_. _I'll be looking for you, alright_?"

"Yes sir, I'll get in as soon as I can."

Monique returned to the room and sat on the bed. There wasn't much of anything to do in either room so she laid back down. There were no windows in the room or any way to tell what time it was. It was kind of a creepy room, if one so scantily decorated could be called that. Maybe it was creepy because it was underground. After walking through the maintenance tunnel she hadn't expected to see the room or anything that wasn't work related.

She stared at the ceiling for awhile before realizing that she was wasting a perfectly good opportunity to look for any clues as to what the horde was planning. Monique went back into the other room and snooped about. Honestly, she felt a little guilty looking through their belongings although it was for their benefit. The clothes were labeled for each alter. The style of clothes changed with the names and she could remember...some of them. She hadn't met any of them other than Barry and Jade more than once. Looking at them made her chest tight. She might never see Barry again or any of the others for that matter.

She shook off the sadness she felt creeping up and moved on to the computer. There was no internet connection, first of all. Second of all, there were only folders labeled with the familiar names of the alters. Monique clicked into a few and found that they were all video diaries. Diaries were good for expressing your emotions without feeling like you were going to be judged. They were private. She couldn't tell herself it wasn't an invasion of privacy, but she couldn't say it was entirely a bad thing to do considering the circumstances.

Monique wasn't sure how much time she had before Dennis came back but if he found her snooping through the computer it could be assumed that wouldn't be good for her. She did, however, watch some of the video diaries. The shorter ones. Mostly Barry's because she missed his voice. When she thought she heard footsteps in the tunnel she closed out of everything and went back to the room.

It was quiet from there. She tried to calm herself quickly with deep, concentrated breaths. After minutes passed and nothing happened she crept to the door and slowly opened it. Dennis was closing the door to the other room. She counted to five and opened the room door fully as he turned around. "Welcome back," she said as calmly as she could.

He folded his arms and just look at her with that look, like he really didn't care for her at all. He didn't look angry this time, but there was obviously something about her he didn't like. "I told you that Mrs. Patrica says there are ways that you can help us."

Monique thought for a moment. She vaguely remembered something like that before she fell into her "healing sleep", as she referred to it. She nodded slowly. _I wish I had gotten something from the videos..._

"Can you get a few things for us?"

"Whatever you need," she replied with a shallow shrug. "As long as I can get out to go get them."

"There's no way to get you out of here without drawing attention," he said.

"Right..."

"We'll wait until there are less people."

Monique nodded her understanding. Honestly, it seemed like a lot of trouble when she could just walk out. Dennis left again and she heard the door lock this time. It wasn't like she was going to go running out there- she was aware of the situation. She closed the room door and returned to the bed. It would look a little funny if an employee, especially one usually there before everyone else, was seen with a strange woman coming out of his place of work.

However it looked, she was getting sore from laying on the firm mattress of the bed. As silly as it was, considering why she was even down there in the first place, she hoped wherever he slept was better equipped than that room.

Hours passed before she saw him again and somehow she had managed to fall asleep. She woke up to someone calling her name. She opened her sleep weary eyes and turned onto her back. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"You can leave now." It was an unfamiliar tone that spoke to her again. "Dennis will show you out." It was reminiscent of a woman's voice, much softer than Dennis'. There was an accent.

Monique put her legs over the side the bed and looked to the alter standing just beside her. Just looking at the posture it was obvious it was a woman alter this time. She still wore the tan uniform so it still had to be during open hours. _Is this...Patricia?_

"I'm glad I finally get to meet you," she said. "You are very persistent."

Monique tried to muster up the courage to speak clearly. "I'm sorry if I caused any trouble. It's not what I meant to do."

"Oh, dear, there's no trouble," she said sweetly. "We're glad to have someone here who is willing to stay with us. It's good for Dennis. He needs help sometimes."

"Of course, I only want to help. I want to help all of you."

"And we are so glad that you are here. Can I ask something of you?" Monique nodded. "There are some things that we need and I don't like sending Dennis out for certain things. Can you get them for me?"

"Um, sure," she replied, "whatever you need."

"Good. It would be such a big help to us if you could handle such things."

Patricia handed Monique a folded piece of paper. "Here is a list and if there's anything else, we do have your phone number."

"If you..." Monique stopped but now that she'd started to speak she had to finished. "Um, if you don't mind me asking... Why not send one of the others?"

Patricia shook her head and held out her hand for Monique to take. She didn't answer the question and Monique wasn't going to risk asking again. She took the offered hand and stood from the bed. Patricia opened the door for her. "You won't be able to come back right away," she explained as she led her back down the tunnel. "We will contact you when it's alright to do so."

Monique suddenly remembered all the work she had to finish. Hopefully this little errand wouldn't take up too much of her evening time. But I finally met another one of them. She isn't like Dennis either. Patricia stopped then looked back at Monique over her shoulder. "Stay close, we have to move quickly." It was Dennis again. She walked quickly to catch up and stayed close behind him.

They made it to the entrance and he went out first. He turned back to her and told her to go. Go quickly and put some distance between them. Monique went out behind him and jogged a ways away before slowing to a leisurely pace. The sun shone brightly telling that it was well past noon and her time to work on her projects was effectively hacked to pieces. On top of that, she had to be back again sometime the same day.

She couldn't help thinking about how different it was being down there and being outside again. Down there she had felt like she was in a separate place all together, yet it was right under their feet. Windows really made a difference in the feel of a room. Monique hurried on to the exit and jogged to her car. She had a lot of explaining to do when she got to the office.

* * *

A/N: This is from the day that I wrote the chapter. I've just decided to leave it in so you guys could see what my Wattpad readers see :p

I was working on this chapter yesterday and was so close to being able to upload earlier today, but the heat got to me. You see, in Florida, we have what is called "wet heat". Some places have dry heat. In dry heat you can sweat and it cools you down somewhat. In wet heat, sweating doesn't help you. It also makes it feel hotter than it is. Yesterday, our temperature was about 90 degrees, maybe 91 degrees. The "feels like" temperature was 101 degrees. Earlier this week we had a feel like temperature of 105 degrees. So, next time you look at Florida's temperatures and think "that's not that bad", realize that it probably feels maybe five to ten degrees hotter than that here.

I just had to get that off my chest. The heat slows me down so much. But, if I'm not mistaken, I've reached 2k reads with this story now. Thank you all so much for that. Reads mean a lot to me, so thank you for reading!


	18. Chapter 18

Needless to say, by the time Monique got to work she only had a few hours to work on her assignments. The editor was not happy, but he calmed down a bit once he saw how much she already had done. Monique finished two photos but it took up all the time she had left. It had to be after hours for the zoo as well. She hadn't gotten a message from Patricia yet so she went to the store after leaving the office.

She text Dennis, assuming he was in control most of the time, to let him know she was just getting to the store. Clothes. The shopping list had clothes on it. Monique sat outside of a clothing store looking over the list. Teenager clothing was on the list as well as some other items she assumed they needed considering where they were staying. Monique got out of the car and went inside. She took into account the weather and where they were staying.

It was cold, so more clothes meant warmer bodies. She grabbed up a few pieces and put together three outfits with pants and sweaters and hoodies. She could only afford three outfits, but she tried to make them count. Next on her list was food items. Quick food items. More like snacks. She headed to the grocery store. She got what was on the list and a few extra things she thought they would like. Extra food never hurt anybody.

As she put the bags into the car she got a text. "Find a way to bring everything in at once. I'll be waiting outside around ten." Monique knew that would be pretty much impossible, but she headed home to find some bags to hold the groceries. At home she found a large backpack to stuff the groceries into. The groceries fit right into the bag.

Monique wasn't sure if she should be impressed by her tetris abilities or feel guilty for the fact that they could fit in the backpack. She waited about half a block away. There was no way she didn't look sketchy sitting at the curb in her car. No one knew what she was waiting for and, really, it might only have made things look all the more sketchy. When her phone went off in her pocket she assumed it was Dennis or Patricia, but that wasn't the number on the message.

"Hey Mo'. We haven't talked a while. How have you been?"

"I've been keeping it together. I thought you had drowned in your work."

"Yeah, I had. I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with you."

"It's alright. I know you're busy. The editor has me drowning under assignments too. So I'm sorry too."

"How are things with Barry?"

Monique hesitated to respond. She was just going to lie again. That wasn't what she wanted, especially not now.

"Things are great. I was just helping him with a few errands."

"I'm glad you're still getting out without work as an excuse."

"I miss you. All this time with Barry just reminds me of how long it's been since we even talked."

"I miss you too, baby. I'll try to figure out some time for us to just chill."

"That sounds good. I'll be thinking about that too."

"Good."

"I miss you so much but I have to help Barry get these groceries inside. I'll text you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright. We'll talk later."

"Love you."

"Love you too baby."

Monique looked at the time on her phone and sighed. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and got out the car. It was after ten but not that much. Considering it was after hours it shouldn't matter that much. It had been too long since she talked to Terrence. Technically, it was a text, but all the same at the moment. Monique really did miss him and all this time away from him did make it worse. She hadn't completely lied- more of it was the truth. Mostly truth.

When she reached the gates Dennis was waiting for her. "It's ten minutes past," he said. "You're late."

"I know," Monique sighed. "Do I have to come in or...?"

He opened the gate and let her in. She walked past him with her head down. She was suddenly too tired for interactions. The facade she put on for the horde wouldn't be kept up very well. They went back to the small kitchen area and Monique unpacked the backpack. Dennis stood by the table. She looked up at him. "Are you gonna help me? I mean, I don't want to be going through your things."

"You should be familiar with the kitchen," he replied.

Monique stood from the refrigerator and turned to face him. "Does that mean I'm gonna be coming in here a lot?"

"Sometimes. We'll let you know when we need you."

Monique put everything away, it wasn't a lot, then turned to the bag of clothes. "Here are the clothes for Jade."

He seemed a little confused but took the clothes from her. "This task was to see if you were someone that could be trusted. You were late, but you did get everything we asked for."

"Sorry about that," Monique mumbled.

"We may ask for other things so, you should know where the storage room is."

Dennis gave her the tour of the maintenance hall. He opened each door and showed her the rooms. Two of the rooms he skipped, explaining that it wasn't a storage room. In the room where the clothes and computer were kept the room door was closed. She was curious all the more about what the room was used for.

"Can I ask what this room is for?" she said as she walked up to the door. "It's not your room, is it?" She put her hand on the doorknob. It was warm despite how cold it was down there.

Dennis frowned. "Step away from the door. Just remember which rooms are the storage rooms."

She took her hand from the doorknob and followed him out of the room. "I appreciate you all letting me help you even though you don't like me."

"I never said I didn't like you," Dennis said. "I just don't trust you."

Monique nodded. "Well, still, I hope that we can move past that someday."

Dennis stopped and turned to face her. "Mrs. Patricia is allowing you to help us. I don't think that we need your help but she sees a reason to keep you around."

"Well, you let me in, not Mrs. Patricia." Monique replied.

He sighed. "You wouldn't have stopped coming around if I didn't. You still messaged me after I ignored you."

Monique folded her arms. "I told you I care about Barry and that's why I'm here, but I also care about you. I don't want to hurt any of you any more than you already have been. You not trusting me is fine, I don't care, but I hope we can move past that."

Dennis shook his head slowly. "We don't want to be looked at as some who should be pitied."

Monique started to speak but Dennis turned away and continued down the tunnel. She quietly followed him back outside. On the other side of the gate she watched him go back inside. That entire day had been so stressful and that was how it ended. She had to keep telling herself that things would change. They would get better. Dennis would come around and they wouldn't put anyone in danger and they she would have her friend back. Things were going to get better.

* * *

A/N: I know it's still a ways off but I just wanted to let you all know that in August I'm gonna get pretty busy. I'm hoping to have more chapters ready before that time comes because I know it's just gonna be ridiculous talking about typing up chapters then. Things have been going so well so far and I just don't want to betray your expectations on upload days and such.

Thank you all for reading and I appreciate everyone who interacts with this story :)


	19. Chapter 19

Dennis didn't trust Monique, not a surprise. He seemed to be the one in control most of the time as well and he only repeated whatever Patricia's said to say. She had yet to meet the third member of the horde, the child. She shuddered to think what she would have to do in order win him over. Truth be told, she didn't trust Patricia.

The trouble with being so hindered when it came to social interaction was that if anyone spoke to her she thought they were nice. Monique _used_ to think that. After getting used and mistreated by people she trusted too quickly, she had built a wall. She started to watch how people interacted with others and listened to how they spoke. Monique had all of this going for her and she knew better than to trust some stranger on the street.

Somehow she was once again walking through a store with a list in her hand. All because she didn't keep her wall up. They needed more cleaning supplies. When she dropped off things now, Dennis would follow her to where the supplies were kept. He let her lead and didn't say much of anything. She'd ask him how his day was but he wouldn't answer most of the time.

Monique also noticed that she didn't have to go as far as the small office anymore. They didn't ask her for anymore clothes either. She remember the last time she touched the handle that it was warm. He didn't sleep there and there were two beds there. She couldn't help wondering if anyone else was staying there with him. She wasn't stupid enough to ask though, of course not.

One time, while she was putting things away in the storage closet, someone else took control of the light. Monique was surprised to see the grin on his face until her brain registered that it was not Dennis in control. "H-Hello," she said, nervously.

"Hi," he replied. "My name's Hedwig."

"Oh, it's you," she said. "I was hoping to get to meet you."

His eyes lit up. "You wanted to sthee me?"

Monique nodded. "I'm glad that we finally get to meet, but, how did you get control from Dennis?"

"I can control who gets the light," he said. "But Mr. Dennisth sthaid I could have it this time. He doesthn't like you."

"I know, he pretty much told me," she said as she closed the door. "I don't think Dennis or Patricia likes me."

"They don't," he said. "They sthay that you won't go away. Why won't you go away?"

Monique shrugged. "I made a promise to Barry and the others, all of you really, that I would stay with you so you wouldn't have to be alone any more. But that just sounds stupid now..."

"Yeah. You shouldn't stay here," he said.

Monique lowered herself to his eye level. He wasn't any shorter, of course, but his posture made it seem that way. "Everyone keeps telling me that. Dennis kept pushing me away and Barry tried to but he stopped. Patricia...Well, she likes me less than Dennis does, probably. What's going on?"

"I can't tell you," he said, backing away.

"Okay, that's fine," she said quickly. "Then...can you tell me where you sleep? Is it the room where the clothes are?"

Hedwig scoffed. "No. Why would I sleep there?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I don't know anything."

"I can't tell you anything...but I can show you my room."

She smiled at him and he smiled back. "You'll really show me?"

He nodded. "Come on." Monique followed him down the hall, but not to the last room. In fact, he went into the door at the end of the hall. She hadn't noticed it earlier, or any of the times she had been there previously. Probably because Dennis was always in front and when he wasn't, she was trying to focus on putting things in the right place. They walked up a set of stairs and there was a room there. There were a few doors there but he took her to the first one.

When he opened the door, her gasp was genuine and the surprise on her face was real. "This is...You have so many pictures," she recovered quickly. "Do you like to draw? Like Norma?"

"I don't like Ms. Norma," he said. "Sthe sthaid I was bad...but I'm not."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Monique said. "I-I like to take pictures." She looked around the room as she spoke. He had drawings on every wall. The shelves held stuffed animals, likely from the zoo's gift shop. A shelf on the adjacent wall held a fish tank that housed two mice. _He has pets. I wonder who bought them for him._

It looked like it might have been a storage room too at one time with all the shelves and the lighting. A small desk sat on the far wall where there were more stuffed animals and drawings. A small wooden dresser was beside it further into the corner. It was oddly spacious too. She thought it would have been smaller. The was no bed, but a small couch with a blanket on it. No bed. He walked out in front of her and looked into her face curiously. "Do you like it?" he asked.

Monique started and looked at him. "Yes! Yes, I'm glad you have such a nice place to sleep. It's, uh, nicer than I thought it would be." Well, she wasn't lying. After seeing the room downstairs she was legitimately worried about their living conditions. "I see you even have a radio."

"Oh, yeah," he strode over to the small radio and put a hand atop it. "I listen to music sometimes. I really like it. I listen to Kanye- he's my favorite." He looked back to her and frowned. "What's wrong?"

Monique shook her head and turned away, quickly wiping the tears from her face. She didn't care about not getting to see him everyday anymore. That was something she could get over, even the short talks weren't that bad. Dennis didn't trust her and that was fine too. They shared the same body, that didn't mean they all had to like her, but seeing this was too much. There were things she didn't know about them and still she kept talking about being friends. _How stupid can I be? Now I'm just forcing myself into this._

Hedwig moved into her line of sight. He looked unhappy, with her reaction or the fact that she was crying wasn't exactly obvious. "Why are you crying?"

"I-I'm sorry," she said as she straightened back up and wiped away the tears. "It just made me so happy to...to see your room. I'm glad that you trust me enough to let me in your room."

"Okaayy... Uh, we should leave now," he said as he backed away towards the door. "Mr. Dennisth says you have to go."

Monique felt her tears drying up just at the mention of Dennis. "Alright, alright, I'm going. I have work tomorrow anyway."

She followed him back down the stairs and he returned the light to Dennis to escort her out. "Can I ask why?" Monique said as they walked through the darkness toward the gated entrance.

"Why what?" Dennis replied.

"Why you don't like me."

"I said I don't trust you, doesn't mean I don't like you."

Monique rolled her eyes. "I have seen what it looks like when someone likes someone. Not hating me doesn't mean you like me. There's something about me you don't like, otherwise you wouldn't have any reason to not trust me."

"You're talking a lot."

"I don't really like you either," she said flatly. He stopped replying to her. "I don't feel very welcome when I'm around you. You treat me like I've done something wrong and I haven't. You act like you don't know what my intentions are even though I've told you."

When they got to the gate he unlocked it and pushed it open for her. They held eye contact as she walked out to the sidewalk. "Just give me a chance."

"We'll contact you again if we need anything." He locked the gate and headed back inside.

Monique's fists clenched at her side. _I have no idea how, but I will get into that head of his._


	20. Chapter 20

Monique had a goal and she was going to meet it. When she sat down back at home, in her comfy chair, she thought about what was going as far as she knew. She _really_ thought about it. The fact that the horde was asking her to buy supplies was odd. There were supplies there they could use. Even if not, couldn't they just put in a request for more?

The second was that the storage room was suddenly off limits. She wasn't allowed that far down the hall. Ontop of that, it was locked and had been in use the last time she was allowed in there. There was also the clothes. Why teenager's clothes?

The longer she thought on it, the more concerned she became. Dennis already didn't like her so anything she did made it no better or worse. If she was going to get even a glimpse of understanding then she would have to go against what little progress she had made. Dennis really wouldn't like her after what she was planning. She couldn't keep being so passive.

She was starting to think that things were worse than she was letting herself believe. After wallowing a few hours, she got herself up and text Dennis.

 _"I know that you don't want to see me anymore than you have to but I was thinking that maybe you or Patricia might like to have dinner."_

Monique knew what his answer would be, but she couldn't accept it. She was already making a grocery list. Whether or not they wanted it, they were getting dinner. When his response came she quickly replied.

 _"It's just one night. Surely you aren't turning down free food."_

 _"Why don't cook for your boyfriend?"_

Monique was taken aback by that. "Because he works so late and I have to be up so early. I just want some company."

 _"You won't stop just because I said no, will you?"_

 _"Of course not."_

She coaxed him into letting her go there for the dinner. Victory number one. She could figure something out now that she had a better idea of the layout of the tunnel. This might be her only chance to really get inside their space. The first time didn't go so well.

* * *

Dinner was made prior to leaving that night. She couldn't cook there out of the concern for the smell lingering. There were no windows for it to filter out. Monique got dressed and brought the pot with her, along with a few other containers of sides she put in her large bag. She met Dennis at the gate and slipped in quickly with her dish.

"I made stew," she announced as she set everything out. "I wasn't sure what you'd like but this isn't sweet, spicy or any weird flavor so I thought it was the safest."

Even after meeting them so many times, she was still nervous. "I made rice to go with it but you don't have to eat any if you don't want to."

"I wasn't sure what to expect," Patricia said as she looked over what Monique had brought. She wore a red sweater and black skirt with heels. They only served to make her presence all the more intimidating. "When Dennis told me what you said I thought that you were intending to take us outside."

Monique shrugged as she set down the plates. "I thought about that but I knew that you wouldn't go for that." She could feel Patricia's eyes on her as she made the plates. She was far more intimidating than Dennis.

"So, um, Dennis didn't want to join me?"

"Were you hoping he would?"

"Actually, I didn't think he would," Monique replied. "I was surprised that you agreed to this."

Patricia took a bite of stew and rice. "Mm. This is delicious. Do you like to cook, Monique?"

"Yes. Food is comforting for me," she replied. _She changed the subject just that fast._ "Do you?"

"I don't have much time for things like that," Patricia replied. "You understand what it's like to have priorities."

"I do. Sometimes I have to choose between work or food. Usually work wins."

"Choosing your obligations over something you enjoy."

The conversation ceased for a while. An uncomfortable silence filled the space. Monique had given the invitation intending to pry but Patricia was quite formidable. She was completely in control of the flow in the room and Monique wasn't able to direct it back to benefit her. _Patricia probably knew it would go like this. I have to push back somehow._

"I met Hedwig last time I was here," she said. "He showed me his room."

Patricia nodded. "He was very excited about it, though, he was worried he had done something to upset you."

Monique put down her spoon. "I'm sorry, but, is there a restroom down here?"

"Yes, I'll show you."

Patricia made to stand but Monique put out her hand. "Don't let me stop you from eating," she said quickly. "There's only one room I haven't been in. I think I can find it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just relax, eat and, um, enjoy yourself. I'll be right back." Monique hurried out of the room and down the hall. She went to the last door on the left and opened it. She made as much noise as possible opening and closing the door.

 _Okay, now to see what I can find. Monique went to the next door over where she knew second room was hidden. The door was locked. Of course it's locked. What was I thinking?_

She could hear a scraping sound, most likely the chair sliding back from the table. Monique hurried to open the restroom door and go inside. She stepped back out quickly and closed the door. Patricia was on her way down the hall. "I was just on my way back," she said.

Patricia came to stand in front of her with her hands clasped in front of her. "I was curious why you wanted to have this little meeting. You know something, don't you?"

"No," Monique said quickly. "I don't know anything. No one's told me anything."

Patricia looked down on her, being a foot or so taller she really could. "This room," she moved to the door opposite the bathroom. "You want to know what it's used for, don't you?"

 _Not when you say it like that, no._ Monique didn't move from that spot. Patricia unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Come. See for yourself."

Monique hesitantly followed her into the room. She went to the hidden room's door and waited for Monique. "You wanted to know what it was used for," she said as she slid the key into the key hole. "You can see clearly..." She opened the door and Monique froze right there.

A chill ran up her spine and suddenly she was really cold. Three teenage girls stared back at her from inside the room. Their expressions had to be just as shocked as her own. She took a step forward and Patricia shoved her into the room. The door slammed closed and was locked before she could react.

One of the girls were wearing a shirt she had bought earlier that week. Monique shook her head as her legs gave out under her. "No, no, no," she whispered as two of girls approached her.

"Are you okay?" the blonde girl asked.

Monique continued to shake her head. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry- I didn't know."

They helped her up and over to the bed. _This is beyond anything I could have imagined. How... When could he have... Oh my... I helped them._

* * *

A/N: I am sooo sorry about not updating for so long! I have chapters, as I've said this story is up for reading on Wattpad, but I just haven't been able to update as usual with it and I guess it spilled over to this version as well. I apologize to everyone profusely! It's so embarrassing to admit I forgot about a story...

Th-THank you for reading (/_\\);


	21. Chapter 21

"Are you okay?"

"Are you hurt?"

Monique shook her head at all of their questions, not that she was paying too much attention to what they were saying. Her head was spinning. Panic was evident in the pain in her chest. "I-I...I'm so sorry," she said again.

"It's alright, just calm down," Clare said. "We're all here together now. My name is Clare. That's Marcia." She pointed to the darker skinned girl next to her who had been staying close to her since she'd seen her. "And that's Casey." Casey sat on the other bed looking at her uneasily. Monique could tell she was thinking.

"I'm Monique," she said nervously as she looked at their faces. The hope in their eyes looking at her from the other bed, from the floor and standing beside her made her feel all the more anxious. They didn't seem starved, which was good. They weren't hurt anywhere from what she could tell either. What she did note was that they were all girls. No boys. _What are they planning? Why are they taking girls?_

Another thought crossed her mind suddenly: she was the adult in the room. They would be looking to her to come up with something. Clare sat beside her on the bed. "Did you see where we are?" she asked.

Monique nodded. "But...it won't do any good to know. No one will hear you from here. You're undergrond and this room has been altered."

"Where are we? We have to at least know that."

"This is an underground tunnel," she said. "Which means no noise is going to get out of here."

Marcia's shoulders slumped and Monique quickly added, "it's not anywhere where no one wouldn't find you if they looked."

"So we're still in the city?" Clare asked.

"Yes, but it isn't a place anyone could walk right into. He's the only one with access that I know of."

Marcia asked the next question. "Do you know him?"

She shook her head. "I did at one time but not anymore. The guy I knew wouldn't have done this."

Clare paced the room with her arms folded. "What do you know about him? Does he have a weakness we can exploit? Some kind of flaw?"

Monique tried to think about something she noticed or saw Dennis do. Patricia was too calculating to get around. Hedwig wasn't around as often as Dennis. He was their only option and he didn't like her. She could tell them about his disorder but they probably wouldn't believe her.

"Before you do anything, you should know that...he isn't exactly... He's not who you think he is."

The girls turned to her, giving their full attention. Monique looked around the room. "He isn't fully aware of what's happening right now."

"So now he's crazy," Clare said. "He took Marcia out there and tried to make her dance for him. He knew exactly what he was doing!"

"Yes, part of him did but-"

"Look, I'm sorry, but we were taken from the back of my dad's car," Clare said. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "He knocked us out and we woke up here. I don't care if he's crazy or not- I just want all of us to get out of here and go back home."

Monique clenched her fists. _He did all of those things? Dennis and Patricia and...Hedwig? They took these girls just like that?_ Monique lowered her head into her hands. She stayed like that for few minutes.

"I'm sorry you girls have been through so much." Monique sat up straight again. "I'll do everything I can to help you get out of here."

"What about you?" Marcia asked. "Weren't you kidnapped too?"

"No, I was here by choice," she replied as she stood up. "But he doesn't trust me or think of me as a friend. I'm in the same boat as you."

They looked at each other, feeling the hopeless situation gather it's steam all over again. It had cleared a little when Monique was shoved inside, but the view was short lived. Clare seemed to be the ringleader. She was coming up with plans, ideas, possible strategies to get out and voicing them openly. Marcia looked ready to follow her anywhere. Monique had to cut down some of her ideas since she had a better idea of what they were dealing with.

Casey just listened to them plot and plot without a word. Sometimes she seemed to be interested but most of the time she looked like she was lost in thought. Monique hoped so much that Dennis hadn't done anything to her. After hearing what he tried to do with Marcia, she was a little on edge. He didn't seem like that type of person at all. He was too uptight to do something like that.

After going back and forth between ideas for what felt like hours, Clare and Marcia laid down for some rest. Monique said she'd sit up to keep watch in case he came in. That seemed to make them feel more at peace with closing their eyes for a little while.

This has to be hard on them. It was the type of thing to only happen in movies and on tv, not real life. She had never believed that. It happened more often than people thought, the news just didn't cover all of them. Monique hoped that the girls never told themselves something as silly as that.

Even she was feeling the stress of being trapped and she was a grown woman with a job, bills to pay and in a relationship. This was real. It was their reality. Although it was hard to believe after everything she'd been through since meeting that person, it was her reality too. She couldn't sit around feeling sorry for herself either.

The girls had been taken against their will and it had to be made right. She was involved, even if she didn't know what she was involved in. Monique couldn't imagine what the horde intended to do with them. She started to pace the room. It was a hard pill to swallow, but she couldn't keep doing things the way she had been.

Monique wanted to make peace with them despite what Barry had told her about them. Maybe this was her wake up call. She had to start thinking realistically now. They weren't her friends. They weren't going to be her friends. They didn't care about her or the girls and she was going to have to start acting like she didn't care about them either.


	22. Chapter 22

Time passed so painfully slow in those four walls. They couldn't tell what time it was with no windows or a clock. No view to the outside world. These girls are resilient to still be so lively after being down here who knows how long. I'm feeling antsy after only a few hours. The only thing she was pretty sure of what that it had to have been at least the early morning hours.

The girls were still sleeping when the door opened. Dennis held the door open. Monique didn't move. "Please come outside," he said more than asked.

She still hesitated but she did go. He closed the door behind her and locked it. Monique's eyes were narrowed and brows set in dissatisfaction when he looked up from the doorknob. "What did you do to them?"

"Haven't done anything," he said as she walked past her to the other door. "I'm not-"

"No." Monique stood in front of him and the door. She grabbed the handle. "You did something to them. They told me that you..." She dropped her head and shook it sadly. "Why are you doing this to them?"

Dennis frowned. "I already told you. This is something beyond you or them."

"That's not telling me anything! What- Why are you holding these girls hostage? What is going on, Dennis?"

Dennis shoved her aside and opened the door then pulled her out into the tunnel. Monique rubbed her arm where he had grabbed her. Barry did tell me he was the strongest. I suppose he had to be... He turned back to her with his usual frown on. "Those girls? They don't matter. We brought them here so they could serve a purpose."

"Is that what Patricia said?" Monique asked softly. "Is that what she told you?"

Dennis' mouth set in a line and he walked around her. She followed him with brisk steps to keep up with his longer legs. "I don't know what she told you, but she's wrong. The only thing you've done is put everyone in danger. You can't come back from this, Dennis."

"We are not following their rules anymore. They weren't made for us."

"I don't think you believe that."

"You don't know me. You never will. No one does."

Monique's legs slowed to a stop. "Will you just talk to me? I want to listen but I can't hear anything if you don't talk!" she shouted after him. "I don't want to hear Patricia, I want to hear you! I think you're just as important as any of the others, probably even more."

Dennis slowed to a stop then. She doesn't know, she doesn't understand what we've been through. What I've been through. The ridicule... the darkness... A slight pressure on his shoulder made him look up.

"I know she didn't tell you to me out of there," Monique whispered. "Patricia was going to leave me in there. Just like she didn't tell you to let me in the first time either. Those were your choices."

He opened his mouth as if to speak but let it fall closed again. Monique stepped out in front of him. "You can't tell me I'm wrong, can you?" Dennis looked past her and sighed. "I've seen them now, you can't just ignore that and send me home, can you? I don't think that's a risk you're willing to take."

"No," he replied tiredly. "Patricia was intending for you to stay there and act as sacred food as well." He looked down at her with furrowed brows. "You've always been a liability. She thought that if we kept you nearby then we could keep an eye on you."

"Like what I planning to do?" She folded her arms. "Okay, keep talking. Why did you take the girls?"

"I'm the strongest," he said with a shrug. "I was the only one who could. We all want the same thing so I have to do something to help."

Monique shook her head. He was closing up again. At least I know I wasn't wrong about him a far as his choices. He's following Patricia's influence just like Barry said. She is the one who started this. "Are you going to let me go?" she asked, taking a few steps back.

Dennis nodded. "I will, but if you tell anyone-"

"I-I know, I know," she cut in quickly. "Even though you're acting like a monster, I still...want to help you. Because I'm the only one who knows what going on right now."

He didn't seem amused as he walked past her to the door.

Monique woke up in a cold sweat. She looked around the dark room with wide eyes, trying to see everything in the room. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom to splash her face. The person reflected in the mirror looked tired and afraid. Monique felt like she had been running a marathon in her sleep with how achy her legs felt.

"It was just a dream," she told the woman in the mirror. "Nothing to lose sleep over." She splashed her face a few more times then went to the kitchen for a cold drink. The water cooled her head, but the rest of her body was on fire. Sunlight peeked over the horizon, turning the sky a dark blue. I got a few more hours to sleep. Better get all of it.

On her way back to the bedroom a knock sounded from the front of the house. Monique looked outside then searched out a clock. 3:30am. That's what I thought. She sighed and went to a nearby window to peek out at the driveway. She squinted but couldn't see anyone.Who is knocking at my 3:30 in the morning? Monique rolled her eyes as she moved to another more effective vantage point.

Peeking out this time, she could see the elbow of a grey coat. The odd visitor stepped back and looked up. Monique almost dropped her glass when he looked in her direction. Why? She ran to the kitchen and put down her glass then ran upstairs to change out of her sleeping top. Why is he outside my house? How does he even know where I live?

She swapped it for a light t-shirt then hurried back down the stairs as the doorbell was rung. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself then went to the door. "Who is it?" she called.

"Dennis," he replied shortly.

"Hey, Dennis? Do you know what time it is?"

"Yes. Can I come in?" he knocked on the door again.

He was awfully impatient. The images from her dream flashed in her mind and she quickly unlocked the door. She let him in, still rather reluctantly, then set all the locks back in place. "What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Do you know what time it is?!"

"Yes," he replied. "But I have to ask a for a favor."

She folded her arms over her chest and fixed him with a look. "You couldn't text it to me? Leave a voice mail? Skype me? It's three-thirty in the morning Dennis!" Monique sighed exasperatedly as she went back to the kitchen for her drink.

"I know that, but... I wanted to talk."

Monique raised an eyebrow as she sipped at her ice water. She put down her glass. "You want to talk? Are you gonna tell me any more than what you've already tell me?" He nodded. "We're actually going to have a real conversation?"

"I liked it better when you were too shy to speak," he said.

"And I liked it better when you didn't come stalking around my house three-thirty in the morning," she retorted. "But let's talk. Say whatever you want. I'm here to listen."

He seemed nervous at first but he eventually did began to speak. Monique would never forget this conversation.

A/N: Every time I sit down to this story now I think I don't have anything to write and then stuff just comes out. This is an example of letting the story drive itself. I had not planned for him to go to her house so soon, but it opens up a few different paths for the progression of the story. I'm also just kind of done with the maintenance tunnel right now xD This is just a momentary change of scenery though.


	23. Chapter 23

As awkward as it was, Monique was glad that Dennis did go out of his way to see her. The timing was questionable and it was obvious that she wouldn't be getting much sleep from that point, but it was worth it. Of course her first question was how did he find her house since they didn't share any of that information between them. He ignored that question. What he did tell her was a story.

He told her the story. Monique had heard it before- Barry told it to her- but it sounded different coming from Dennis. It might have been the differences in the way they spoke, but, it just did not sound the same. The way Dennis told it made it sound like some kind of hero story. The story was about a beast.

He could climb on walls by gripping the tiniest imperfections, his skin was practically impenetrable and he had superhuman strength. Monique tried to keep her concern from her face as she listened. Dennis put up his facade but it slowly started to dissolve as he went on. He believed it just as much as Hedwig did. That's was why he was so defensive.

Dennis was being manipulated by that story just the same as Hedwig was. Monique squeezed her glass as she took another drink. He watched her expression as she placed her glass back on the coffee table. "I know what it sounds like," he said, "but since you were so persistent..."

"Oh, no, no," she replied with a wave of her hand. "I'm glad you told me that story." She sighed heavily. "Barry... He told me that story too. It was so interesting to hear. It also sounded different from the way you told you."

Dennis frowned. "He didn't like that story. I think he was afraid of it because it was something he couldn't control."

"What do you mean?"

Dennis shrugged. "Barry likes to control things. He wanted to keep us all in order but... Patricia would tell the story sometimes and he'd ask her to stop but she wouldn't. He hated it."

"Because he couldn't control it?" Monique asked tentatively. Dennis nodded. And because he didn't know what it meant. "So, he's a control freak?"

"No, but he likes for things to be done the way he says for it to."

"But...he is like a leader to everyone, isn't he? I mean, you want the same thing for everyone as he does...right?"

Dennis sighed heavily. "No. We want different things now."

The conversation drifted unto questions and answers. He didn't give much of an answer to most of them. Sunlight was peeking in through her curtains when he finally thought he ought to leave. Monique stopped him at the door. "Can I still visit you?"

He frowned. "You still want to?"

"Yes. Especially after what I've seen," she replied. "I can't let you do this to the others. You or Patricia."

"You can't stop it. None of us can."

Monique squeezed the doorknob. "You know that won't stop me."

Dennis nodded. "Patricia wouldn't want you coming back. Not after what happened."

"She didn't let me in the first time."

Dennis narrowed his eyes at her but it wasn't the same upset look he would usually give her. She knew he was weak, just as Patricia said. "She knows you're weak," Patricia had said. She knows everything about you because Barry told her your weakness. You can't trust her.

"I'm not stupid," he said. "I know what Barry told you about us, but he's wrong. I wouldn't let you back inside."

Monique didn't ask why- she could probably figure it out herself. Dennis had given her enough information to ponder for now. She watched him leave. He walked out onto the sidewalk. She closed the door and locked it.

Monique went back upstairs to bed. He's cracking, I know it. The best hope for those girls is for me to make him crack. I have to see them again.

The next time she got a text message it asked her for supplies again. Monique had not been allowed to see the girls. She hated not knowing what was going on with them. She ventured to ask about them every chance she got. It was lucky when Hedwig was in control.

He was more likely to tell her something. The more Monique she spoke with him, the more she was sure he was only a victim. "Do you know how the girls are doing?" she asked him during one of her visits.

"The one girl tried to esthcape so Mr. Dennisth put her away from the others," he replied. "I tried to stop them but they didn't listhen etcetera."

Monique spun around on her heels to face him. "Put her away where?" He pointed to the next door down. "In one of the smaller storage closets?"

"It was her fault for trying to esthcape," he said with a shrug.

Monique put a hand to her forehead and sighed heavily. "What about the others?"

"They're sthill in the room."

She shook her head as she closed the door to the first storage closet. "Hedwig... Can I ask you a question? And will you tell me the truth?"

"Yeeaahh... Maybe."

She turned around to face him. "It's just a question about you. Do you believe the story that Mrs. Patricia tells you?" He nodded quickly. "Why do you believe it?"

"Because it's true. Mrsth. Patricia said he's really gonna come and do all of thosth things." His brow furrowed and he frowned. "How do you know the sthory about the beasth?"

"Dennis told me," she said. "He came to my house to talk to me. I was glad that he did, but now I have more questions that he won't answer. You're the only one I can ask."

Hedwig looked into her eyes with his narrowed ones then quickly looked away. "I-I don't know much."

"You don't have to," she replied. "Really, I just want to know about you. Why do you think Dennis took the other girl to another room instead of putting her back with the others?"

"Because she tried to escape," Hedwig said. "He had to punish her."

"Do you think that was okay?"

"They can't leave," he said, shaking his head. "We'll get in trouble if they leave."

Monique put a hand on his shoulder. They have to stay here for the beast don't they? But she couldn't ask that. It would be too much. "I don't want you to get in trouble either. That's why I want to come over more often. Maybe we can figure something out."

"Mrsth. Patricia already knowsth. She knowsth what to do. I just have to listhen to her and we won't get in trouble. Etcetera."

Listening to him was just making her feel all the more worse. She now had a much better idea of what was going on and she couldn't let the girls stay down there. At the same time she didn't want to go running to the police either. They didn't handle situations with those with psychological issues very well and she didn't want him to wind up dead. Monique wanted the girls back home and the alters safe.

She knew now that Patricia was the one calling the shots. She was using both Dennis and Hedwig. There wasn't enough time in the day to really talk to them though. This beast was one thing that she did not believe was part of Kevin at all.


	24. Chapter 24

"Why won't you tell me why you need the girls?"

"You already know. You're smart. I told you the story."

"Does Hedwig have to be involved?"

"He controls the light. We need him."

"I just... I don't think you really want to do this."

"You don't know what I think about anything. Stop saying things like that."

"I just don't want to see you go to jail. They won't be nice to you."

"You don't believe us. It doesn't matter what they do the beast can't be stopped."

Monique lowered her forehead onto her desk, screaming inside. This was the most frustrated thing she'd ever had to do. Things were wrong and going to get worse but she couldn't stop it. The idea of telling Terrence kept popping up in her mind but he wouldn't risk it. He'd call the police first.

Her only options were to confront them and face the consequences or just cut ties and let it happen. Monique wouldn't call the police. She couldn't tell Terrence either. She was alone for the first time since she moved out of her parent's house. There was no one to lean on or ask for help. This time people were counting on her to do what needed to be done.

She sat back up and got back to work on photos she had been sent the other day. Hedwig told her more than what she wanted to know yesterday. He was willing going along too. Those girls... I have to get them out of there. Hedwig nor Dennis has given me enough information to make up a timeline so I have no clue how much time they have. There's no time to persuade anyone- I have to make getting them out of there my priority.

Monique left to the bathroom to clear her head. She'd need the key to open the doors. The key Dennis kept with him was a bundle of keys. It'd take too long to figure out which ones opened those doors. There was no way she would be able to get them from him anyhow. He was stronger than her.

Then it occurred to her she never once thought to bring her camera to take pictures of the layout of the tunnel. Well... My camera would be way too obvious but... Maybe my phone? I'd have to have a clear shot of everything and be able to take them without him noticing. If I could study the layout then I could come up with an escape route for them.

Ideas and thoughts came flooding into her mind. She recognized most of them as ridiculously over dramatic, but some good ones came to mind too. Whatever she decided on she would have to move fast. If she could get back over there that night she would hope to be able to come up with a plan and move by the next day. How she would get to them during the morning hours, she had no idea, but it was a starting point.

Her chest felt tight at the thought of facing conflict with Patricia. She would have left her down there with those girls. Monique was starting to wish Dennis had left her down there. Maybe she would have gotten the girls out by now. Maybe they'd be walking free right now.

She took deep breaths to calm her racing heart then returned to her desk. After work she'd text Dennis again. The worse part of all of this is that I care about all of them. People should be reprimanded when they do wrong, especially to this degree, but I don't trust anyone to do right by him and his condition. Not after doing something like this.

She had been missing so much time at work, whenever she did make it on time she stayed later than most others. There were no complaints so she kept doing it. When the room was mostly empty she whipped out her phone and sent a message to Dennis. Barry's name was still there, but she didn't fool herself int trying to imagine she was talking to him. Dennis was drastically different.

"Can I come to visit Hedwig sometimes? I think he feels lonely."

Monique expected a wait before the reply. It wasn't too long. "He has things to keep himself busy."

"I just thought maybe he'd want to see someone else's face sometimes."

"That's very thoughtful of you, but we're his family. He doesn't need to see anyone else."

"Maybe he wants to. If not there, then he can come over to my house."

"Because of Dennis?"

"Because he's a child who needs to be able to talk to someone...else. You and I know different things."

"Yes, we do."

"He should be able to think about things from more than one viewpoint."

"So that's it then. You want to change his mind."

"I can't change his mind. You have more influence than I do. I'm just a stranger who wants to be his friend."

"Yes, you are a stranger. He knows that. He knows that you also don't see the world as he does. He may be a child, but that's what makes him the most useful."

"Because you can use him? Because he just believes everything you say. Like the the story about the beast. That isn't fair."

"I'm not going to argue with you about fair because we know different things."

Monique clenched her phone. Patricia was a handful to say the least. She stayed in control of conversations. No matter how much Monique built herself up for it and ran in headfirst, she couldn't take Patricia on in a battle of words. She was sure the other woman knew how weak she was. That's how she operated: manipulate those weaker than herself.

"If you think he will change his mind because of a few nice words, then you have less of an understanding than you can even imagine. He won't change his mind."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. Let him get out a little. I'll be with him so nothing's going to happen."

Patricia must have been thinking pretty hard on that one because the reply came back ten minutes later. "Very well. I will allow him to go with you but do not forget that he is never truly alone."

"Of course not."

Monique closed her phone and sat back in her chair. Another small victory. She got him away from the rooms but it wasn't like she could tell the girls. That was another problem all together but not one she couldn't quickly remedy. She opened her phone and text to Barry's number one more time.

"Tell Hedwig he can bring his mice. I will bring something so he can take them with him when we leave. I'll be heading over soon."


	25. Chapter 25

"If you think he will change his mind because of a few nice words, then you have less of an understanding than you can even imagine. He won't change his mind."

After that conversation, Monique knew she preferred Dennis over Patricia. She had at least an inkling of an idea of what was going on with Dennis and Hedwig but she couldn't make any ground with Patricia. She was too good at taking control of a situation and Monique was just too weak. No one stayed that tightly closed up all the time. Patricia would break. Eventually.

She went home as soon as she was satisfied with the amount of work she had done. It was night so it wasn't likely that Hedwig would be up too late. In order to make this work I have to tire him out. We have to do something fun, probably just at my house. I don't really know about kid friendly activities after dark.

For the time being, however, she switched gears to writing a carefully worded letter. This was the ultimate opportunity for the girls. She would have Hedwig away from them for a few hours. Monique tried to remember what she knew of the layout of the room outside the one they were kept in. Something suddenly came to mind as she started to write.

I'm taking Hedwig away from here for a few hours. This is your chance to get out of there. Do whatever you can to get out. I can't say how long I'll be able to keep him away but wait ten minutes after reading this to start moving. I'll try to leave something in the other room to help you but you have to move quickly. I know you won't like it but, when you get out, please, don't tell anyone about Dennis.

It was too much to ask for and they'd likely tell everything. They should tell everything. Monique thought to write her number at the bottom but that would lead them right to her and she couldn't lie if anyone asked her about what happened. A pang of guilt hit her as the thought passed in her mind that she shouldn't help them. What am I thinking? Those are someone's daughters! I have to help them... She swallowed hard and wrote her number at the bottom of the note.

Once Monique was ready, she hurried over to to her usual spot. She walked up to the zoo gates and Dennis let her inside. They quickly made their way inside. She carried the small carrier cage purchased on behalf of Hedwig's mice close. The note folded away in her pocket was also burning at the forefront of mind.

"Hedwig will be in control but if he tells us he doesn't like something, he's giving me the light immediately," he said as he led her up the stairs to Hedwig's room.

"Did Patricia tell you to say that?" Monique asked.

"Yes, but I also don't want you to take advantage of him either. Those girls do it to him all the time."

"They just want to go home," Monique replied. "People get desperate."

"That doesn't mean they should trick children."

She cleared her throat and clasped her hands as they reached the top of the stairs. "Well... That's why I wanted to take him out of here for a little while. You and Patricia might not mind it but he probably wants to go out and do things."

Dennis looked away from her as he pushed his room door open. "Patricia did what she could for him but it was never an option to leave him in control that way-"

"Until now," Monique quickly added. Dennis frowned at her and she rolled her eyes. "Can we move past that now? I know Patricia- and probably you too- think I'm just doing this so I can manipulate him and stuff but... No, I don't agree with what you're doing but I also understand that you're hurting and I want to... You know."

She walked into the room and went right up to the mice's tank. "So, Patricia bought these for Hedwig?"

"No, Mr. Dennisth did," came the reply. "But he had to asth Mrs. Patricia if he could."

"Is Dennis like your big brother? Do you think so?"

Hedwig shook his head. "He's old. So, I can really bring them with me?"

Monique held up the carrier cage and nodded. "I bought this just for them! It's only for travel, so they shouldn't stay in it too long. I also have some other presents for them back at my house."

She opened the top of the carrier so he could put them inside and let him carry them back downstairs. He went into the room where they kept their clothes and looked through the rack for his coat. Monique looked around the room as she slowly made her way to the door separating that room from the girls'. She dropped the letter from her pocket and slipped it under the door with her foot. She went up to the hat rack and placed a yellow sticker on Barry's hat.

Monique had suddenly remembered something useful while writing the letter. A ring of keys were kept under his hat. If they weren't there then the girls would have to figure something else out. She just had to make sure that the horde stayed away long enough for them to make something happen.

"So, why did you want to hang out?" he asked suddenly. "I mean, with me."

"Because I like you, Hedwig," she replied with a smile.

He made a face. "You're a grownup and I like girls."

Monique handed him his mice and turned him around to face the door. "Not like that," she said as she urged him out of the door. "I meant, more like a little brother. I don't have any brother's or sisters to hang out with." She closed the door behind them. "To tell you the truth, I thought you might just like to hang out. You probably don't get to go out like Dennis or Patricia."

"They said it's dangerous for me to go outside by myself," Hedwig replied.

"So, that's why I'm taking you outside so you won't be alone," she said.

Hedwig stood up straight and turned to face her. The sharp eyes gave away that it was Dennis once again in control. He handed the mice to Monique then proceeded to walk her back out. "Where are you taking him?"

"Just to my house," she replied. "I have ice cream and games and things. It'll be nice."

She stood behind him as he opened the gates. She hurried outside then him behind her before locking them closed again. "Umm... Are you going to keep popping up like this the whole night?"

"No, I don't care about whatever you're doing," he replied as he turned to face her. "Will you be back tonight?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I might be too tired to drive back and I don't know how long Hedwig will be conscious after food."

Dennis sighed heavily as he ran a hand over his head. "I want him back here before sunrise. I don't care when, just be back before daylight. Understand?"

"Okay, okay," Monique replied with a smile. "Geez, you sound like someone's dad. Calm down. I'll bring him back as soon as he starts to get tired."

Dennis gave her a look, not a pleased one. Monique watched as the light in his eyes became brighter and a smile came to his face. "Stho, what did Mr. Dennis sthay?"

"He said I needed to have you back by sunrise. That means we need to get back to my house as soon as possible so we don't lose anymore time." She turned on her heels and started away. Hedwig followed excitedly and talked the entire walk to the car. This is gonna either gonna be really fun or really tiring.


	26. Chapter 26

There weren't many children in Monique's life. She saw them in passing often enough, but she wasn't sure at all about things that intrigued them or things likely to really get their attention. The idea to get Hedwig away from the zoo for a while was spontaneous and as such, so were the activities.

Hedwig walked around the house, his mouth agape, as he followed a trail of photos down the hallway. "Are these your picturesth?"

"Yes." Monique put her purse down on the kitchen counter and sighed. "I took some of them for the paper and some of them just as I walked around."

"Who are thesth people?"

"They're just normal people," she said as she searched through the drawers. "There's probably an article explaining it somewhere." She looked up from the drawer and nearly jumped out when she met eyes with Hedwig.

"What'sth wrong?" he asked when she leaned forward on the counter with a hand to her chest.

"You...you startled me," she replied.

"Sthorry... Can I sthee your camera?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Sure, I'll show you how it works."

Monique retrieved her camera and sat down with him on the couch. She showed him the pictures on her sd card. "How do you get the pictureth off?"

"I have to plug it into my computer and move them into a folder," Monique said. "I just had an interesting idea. Do you want to make a scrap book?"

"What's that?"

"I'll take a bunch of pictures of things you like then we'll put them on the computer, print them put out and then stick them in a book."

Hedwig looked around the room then turned back to her. "Okay."

Monique looked at her camera then back to Hedwig. I told Dennis we were going to stay at my house and order in but... "What do you say we go out for dinner?"

"Like outside?"

"Yes, in a restaurant. We can eat and find some things that you might want to put in your scrapbook."

The smile on his face diminished. "But... Mr. Dennisth sthaid-"

"Don't worry about that. I'll just let him know what happened if he gets upset." She put his hat back on his head. "We're going out tonight and we're going to have fun but you have to stay with me. Don't run off."

Hedwig nodded quickly.

"And don't tell Dennis."

He nodded again then ran to grab his coat from the by the door. She felt back leaving the mice in the hamster balls, but at least they wouldn't be cooped up in the carrier cage. They couldn't take them with them either way. Surely they wouldn't be gone too long. How much trouble could they get into?

Monique and Hedwig got back in the car and rode back into the city. They walked around for a few minutes snapping pictures. Hedwig wanted pictures of the oddest things: a fire hydrant, a tall building, street lights, someone's car with a rather interesting rendition of the Ghostbusters vehicle. Monique actually had to pull him into a restaurant.

It might not have been the best idea, but she promised him a milkshake for dessert. They talked over burgers and fries, Hedwig doing most of the talking. Now that they were sitting down, she could see that he couldn't have been anything but Kevin's inner child. Her mind couldn't help wandering back to the fact that he even had to create an alter like Hedwig. It was upsetting.

"Are we gonna take more picturesth?" Hedwig asked excitedly as they waited for the milkshake.

"Hm..." Monique looked at her watch. "It's almost midnight," she said. "I think we can take a few more pictures but you'll probably be too tired to make your book."

"Can we do it tomorrow?" He leaned forward on the table.

"I don't know if we can. You'd have to ask Dennis or..."

"Or Mrsth. Patristha? Do you hate her?"

Monique looked up from her plate. "No, I don't hate anyone. I really don't like her but I definitely don't hate her."

"What about Mr. Dennisth?"

"No... Hedwig, why are you asking me this?"

Hedwig lowered his head and looked away from her. "Are you going to get us in trouble?"

Monique's stomach dropped. "No. Why are you asking me this? What's wrong?"

He fidgeted in his seat. "I don't want you to get mad at me..."

"I won't get mad at you Hedwig, I promise. Please tell me what's wrong."

"M-Mrsth. Patricia said that you were gonna get us in trouble. She said you were going to try to trick me like those girls did."

Monique clenched her fist under the table. "Why would I want to trick you?"

Hedwig shrugged, still not looking at her.

"Look, Hedwig, I know they're all you've got but..." She paused to think on what she was gong to say before saying it. "You can't just listen to everyone, even if they tell you they're trying to help you. People lie and sometimes even the people you love lie."

He shook his head quickly. "No, Mrsth. Patricia... Sh-she talks to me 'cause no one else would. She and Mr. Dennisth got me mice and they gave me my own room and-"

"Sshh! Sshh! Calm down, Hedwig. I didn't mean to make you upset. I just-"

The waitress returned with the milkshakes. Monique sat back as she placed them on the table. "If you need anything else don't hesitate to let me know, okay?"

"Okay, thank you," Monique replied. She looked back to Hedwig. "If you hurry we can more pictures and put your book together when we get home. I don't really think it's a good idea to be out so late, but it was the only time I had today."

Hedwig reluctantly started to sip at his straw. It wasn't long before he was cheery again. Probably all the sugar. I wonder how long he'll be up. They gathered their things and left to take a few more pictures. When they made it safely back to her house she took her laptop into the living room and plugged her camera up.

Monique gave Hedwig some paper to make a cover for his book. The mice ran about in hamster balls, the other gift she had for them. They were quietly tending to their tasks when he suddenly sat up and faced her. Monique looked at him and sighed heavily. "Don't scare me like that! Oh my gosh..." she put her head down on the coffee table.

"It's getting late," Dennis said. "When are you taking him back?"

"I'll take him back after her we finish the book," she replied as she lifted her head to look at him. "Um, I-I don't mean to pry but, you seem really protective of him."

"I'm just looking out for him. The three of us have to look after each other since the others won't"

Monique smiled. "That's really sweet of you to care for him like that. I didn't peg you for the caring-type." He frowned but it didn't deter her smile. "Even if you look at me like that, it doesn't make you look very scary anymore. Can Hedwig have the light back so we can put this together?"

He didn't say a word in response but he did give the light back to Hedwig. Monique printed the pictures out on photo paper and put holes in the sides. She showed him how to thread the holes and tie them together so that the photos could be turned like book pages. There were a few pictures of him in the book as well. Once they finished putting it together she took him back to the zoo.

"I had a lot of fun Hedwig," Monique said. "If you ever want to do this again, I will definitely come to get you again." She leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "No matter what they tell you, I am your friend and you can talk to me."

Hedwig's expression didn't hide any of his surprise or unease. She was breaking him down. He nodded then turned to face the gates. Monique went back to her car and just sat for a few minutes. She hoped so dearly that the girls were able to make it out of there. Whether they did or didn't determined whether or not everything she said that night a lie.


	27. Chapter 27

She had been watching the door since she heard voices come into the other room. He wasn't alone. There was a woman's voice with him. It sounded like the woman that had been thrown into the room once. They hadn't seen her since that day. They thought she might have been dead but now they knew. She was helping him.

Casey and Marcia were the only ones in the room now. When something slipped in under the door Marcia hesitantly moved in to take it. She brought it to Casey and they read it in silence. Marcia looked up to Casey with wide, unbelieving eyes. "She's helping us," she whispered. "Then...maybe she isn't working with him."

Casey said nothing as she folded the paper and put it in her pocket.

"Should we believe her?"

Casey's eyes were thoughtful as she listened to what she could of the conversation beyond the wall. She waited until the door was heard closing again before getting off the bed and going to the door. "It might be our only chance," she said. "But we have to move. You can't be slow." Marcia nodded quickly. "We can find Clare once we're out of here."

They waited a little longer than ten minutes although those ten felt like an eternity knowing what waited on the other side. Once Casey felt they were truly gone, she set to work trying to get the door open. It was locked, of course, so they had to make something happen. They searched the room and bathroom- everywhere they could. There was nothing loose or out of place to just grab and use.

The thought to put a hole through the wall and just go did cross her mind for a fleeting second, but she also knew it was better that they left as little evidence to their escape as possible. If that woman couldn't keep him away as long as she thought, the longer it took him to notice their absence the better. They would have had to find something to make a hole in the first place. Something drew her back to the bathroom and the bucket Dennis had brought them.

She took the handle from the bucket and sought to finding some use for it. It was far too big to fit into the lock, but...

"This is taking a long time," Marcia said. "We don't have anything to open the door."

The thought of putting a hole in the wall was not ideal but they were losing time. Casey knelt by a corner to the right of the door and started to work at the new material with the bucket handle. When she had stabbed enough holes in it that she thought their bodies would fit through, she started to kick it out. If they needed more space it could be done.

Marcia helped her and they made a hole big enough for both of them to fit through with some effort. Once they had pulled themselves through, they moved somethings from around the room in front of the hole. It wasn't well hidden but it would likely still take some time to be noticed. They looked around the room any clues that Monique might have left.

Their adrenaline was rushing and their hands shook as they looked under and around things. Marcia found the yellow sticker on the back of the hat. She took the hat down and there was a ring of keys hanging there. "I-I found the keys!" Marcia exclaimed then quickly covered her mouth. Casey took them and nodded. It didn't take long to find the one that opened the door.

The clock was still running against them but they were frozen there for only a few seconds. The door was opened and they were actually going to leave. They were going to escape. Casey started out first with Marcia in tow. Clare was in the storage room right next to the room they were held in.

Clare sat up. "Marcia?"

"We're getting out Clare," she said as she helped her stand.

"We don't know how long we have," Casey said as she looked down the tunnel. "We have to hurry."

Clare got to her feet and followed them out. "It's a long tunnel that just goes on and on. I don't know how long it is though. He found me before I could reach the exit."

They ran down the length of the tunnel. All of their minds were already whirring with thoughts of the outside world. They had no indication of how many days they had been down there. An opportunity had been presented and they were not willing to waste it.

They came to the end of the tunnel and Casey ran up tot he door. She tried it and found it locked as well. She cycled through the keys until she found the one that opened the door. The breath left their bodies as the locked clicked.

Casey alowly pushed the door open and they rushed out into the dark. The cold air on their faces sent shivers down their spines but their bodies felt warmer. They ran towards the streetlights with no intentions of stopping for anything. They were outside again.

They reached the gate and climbed it without reserve. When they reached the otherside they took off running again. They had to get as far from there as possible. That woman, whatever her name was, has given them their opening.

She had created an opening and kept it open long enough for them to figure things out. Now they were out if that prison- out of that hole in the ground. They could go back home.

They stopped a few blocks down and fell to their knees. "We... We're outside again," Clare said. "We can go home now. We're free."

Marcia hugged her and cried. She wrapped her arms around the other girl and fought back her own tears.

Casey looked to the key ring in her hand. She hadn't dropped it nor thrown it away. He'd notice the keys were missings but it didn't matter now. They were free.

He couldn't touch them any more. They had escaped him.


	28. Chapter 28

The first thing Dennis did when he returned was check in on the girls. They had been gone all night and knowing the girls they definitely had attempted an escape. He checked the closet first, where the blond girl had been put for an earlier escape attempt.

The gasp normally heard when the door opened was absent but it went unnoticed until he saw the room itself was empty. His jaw clenched as he turned and went to the storage room. The other room was empty as well.

"They're gone."

Monique picked up her phone hidden under the pillow. She tapped the screen and swiped to unlock it. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and glared at the screen. "What is going on," she mumbled.

"Who's gone?" she replied

"The girls. They're not here."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

"Why would I? Do you know what time it is?"

"Yes, I know. We need to talk tomorrow. Be here early."

Monique rolled her eyes. There's no way he knows I was involved. It's just his own distrust. He doesn't know, but... I'm glad that they were able to get away...

She slept until she was ready to get up and by the third text she was, indeed, ready to get up. She wasn't even sure just what he wanted to talk about. All he could do was asked what she had to do with it and that question had been asked earlier that morning.

When she got to the zoo it was already open and a few visitors were walking about the exhibits. Dennis was waiting for her further inside by one of the eateries. He didn't look happy to see her so she put on a displeased expression of her own. "They're gone," he said. "They were gone when I when I got back."

Monique furrowed her brows in an attempt to seem as concerned as he was. "Are you okay?"

Dennis frowned at her. "I found a hole in the wall." His voice was heavy with exhaustion. "I...I don't think it was you but Patricia does. She says you planned it."

Monique scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. "Any time I've tried to out smart her she caught me in it. I'm not smart enough to get over on her and I've never wanted to decieve you or Hedwig."

"Are you sure?"

Monique looked around. "Are you sure we should be discussing this out here?" She looked past him then let her shoulders relax. "I know they would tell, without a doubt, where you are if they got out. Why would I risk that?"

"You didn't like it but, you wanted to help us. Anyone would choose them over us."

"Not me," she replied quickly. "I couldn't. I want to see Barry again and...and I don't want to lose that chance by losing you."

"So you are using us."

"What? Wait- That's not what I meant."

Dennis shook his head. "Don't lie to me. You know what you said and you meant it. Hedwig was starting to like you. I told him not to trust you so easily."

Monique clenched her fists. "I told him that even the people who care about him will lie to him so..." I guess I said too much this time.

"I can't do this right now," Dennis sighed as he rubbed his head agitatedly. "I have to get back to work. Whatever's happened, we have to fix it."

Now Monique was frowning. "Is everything okay? Are you sure there isn't something else you should be telling me?"

"No. There's nothing else you need to know. I have to go..."

Monique hated to hear him sound so defensive again. He seemed much more relaxed talking to her the other night. She started to step back slowly, her eyes locked on his. As embarrassing as it was, he wasn't wrong. She didn't lie either though.

Monique did care for all of them and wanted them to be in a safe place and to heal, however long that took. At the same time, she wanted to see Barry again. She had to keep them close. If not, they may disappear and she'd never see them again. Even with the way things were right then the thought made her chest tighten.

"I'm sorry Dennis," she said as she stepped further back. "I can't let anything happen to you."

Dennis didn't say a word as he returned to his own work elsewhere in the zoo. Monique turned around and ran back to the front gates. The pang from his disappointment was still sharp in her chest. She really wanted him to put his guard down a little more.

He was faltering but the distrust had returned to his eyes. It was no good. Patricia was still winning. They trust anyone- it was broken after everything they had been through. Monique wanted to just go home and sulk under the covers but she had to get to work before she lost anymore time.

"Wait, they're really gone? They're all gone?"

"Yes, Hedwig they're all gone," Patricia said. "I told you this last night."

"What about..." He sat down in front of Patricia."What about the beasths?"

"Don't worry about that. You leave that to Dennis and I." That woman had something to do with this. It's no coincidence she had Hedwig out for hours that night and then we find the girls gone when we return. It was the perfect opportunity.

"Are you angry with Mo'?" Hedwig asked from beneath her.

"Why would I be?"

"Did she do it?"

Patricia took a deep breath and put a hand on his head. "I don't want to speak badly of your friend."

"If she lied to me then... We're not friendsth. Sthe sthaid that, people you like can lie to you too stho I won't like her anymore if sthe lied to me."

Patricia smiled sweetly at him. "I don't like that you have to learn these lessons the hard way. Never forget, Hedwig, we're your friends and your family. You don't have to like anyone else. Remember how they treated us once they knew."


	29. Chapter 29

The hours went by even slower than usual. Her work day usually felt like an entire work day, but that day it felt like time had slowed and one hour felt like two. Five minutes felt like thirty. Monique rested her forehead in her hands just to give her eyes sometime from the screen and maybe to ease her growing headache.

She couldn't stop replaying the scene from that morning in her head over and over. The look on Dennis' face when she had let those stupid words just slip out. She had hurt him, without meaning to or thinking about it, but it had happened. If he had lost that concern for her then surely they would tell Hedwig what she had said too.

Why do I keep letting my mouth get me in trouble? I'm supposed to be smarter than this. Come on Mo', what are you doing? A hand gently grasped her shoulder and startled her from her thoughts. She spun around in her chair and looked up to see her boss' worried expression. "Are you feeling alright? You seem a little off this morning."

"I-I-I am... I-I'm fine, I'm fine, just feeling a little tired is all," she replied. He didn't seem convinced so she added, "I'll have this done by the end of the day, promise."

"Ah-ha. Don't push yourself too hard and try to get more sleep Miss Leavings. You've seemed a little work weary for a couple weeks now."

"Thank you for your concern," she said softly, lowering her eyes.

He nodded then left her to her work. Monique sighed and turned back to face her desk. I can't let this keep showing on the outside. I gotta suck it up and move on. She took a deep breath and set to finishing her current project.

During her lunch break she texted Dennis, despite the low chance of him not being busy at the same time she wasn't. "I'm sorry that what I said earlier hurt you but it was the truth. It doesn't mean I don't care about you and Hedwig." It's not fair that I'm the only one going through so much emotional turmoil over this. I hate this.

Back at her desk, she got a response. It wasn't one she liked but it was a response. "If you really didn't have anything to do with this then you wouldn't mind helping me with something."

Monique couldn't deny that sinking feeling in her stomach. "Can I ask what I would be helping with?"

"I'll explain it later. I'll come to you tonight. Be ready to go when I get there."

"Alright."

The concern from earlier now shifted into a minor panic. He hadn't said it too clearly, but she had a feeling that he was planning on filling the gap left by the escaped girls. Monique shook her head and looked back to her computer screen. I can't let it distract me. I have to focus on work right now.

She managed to regain her focus and push through the rest of the evening. Monique was actually dreading going back home. The office felt like the safe place for once. The drive home was quicker than she would have liked and she was just all around agitated that evening. She conducted some nervous cleaning after showering and changing her clothes. The feeling she had in her gut was not a good one.

Monique had no true way of knowing whether or not that was indeed what he was going to ask her but she couldn't think of how mentioning the missing girls could lead into anything else. Her thoughts were stopped abruptly by heavy rasping on her door. She took deep breaths while clenching and releasing her fists before walking quickly to the door. She slowly opened it and looked up.

Nothing came to mind to say so she just stepped aside and let him in. She tried again to steady her breathing as she closed the door.

"I'm kind of tired from work today," she said as she turned towards the room. "Are we going to be doing anything that uses a lot of energy?"

Dennis was sitting in the living waiting for her. "No, it's nothing like that. First, I have to ask you if you can look me in the eyes and tell me you had nothing to do with those girls escaping the other night."

"I-I didn't, Dennis, I told you." she replied as she hesitantly walked into the living room.

"Look me in my eyes and tell me."

Monique folded her arms to keep her hands from shaking and met his stern look with her own. "I had nothing to do with the girls escaping."

He sighed and sat back. "Good. That's good."

Monique sat down next to him on the couch. "What's going on? What do you need my help with?"

"I need to find a new place," he said.

"A new place to live? You know I'm not against sharing my home for however long you need-"

"Not for us," he cut her off. "We have to have the girls."

Monique sat up and moved back from him. "I knew it. You... You can't be serious?"

"We have to do it. The beast-"

"No." Monique shook her head. "I...I-I didn't know the first time. There was no way for me to know anything the first time but now? This is one thing I can't do."

Dennis furrowed his brow. "You said you wanted to help us."

"Yes but not like this. Not like this, Dennis."

"This is the best thing you could do for us."

"NO!" Monique covered her mouth as her lips began to quiver and tears fell from her eyes. "I...I can't do this Dennis. I can't do this..."

He turned to face her. "Look, the beast, he needs the impure. They will be used for a higher purpose."

"Dennis, stop. Just stop!" She stood from the couch and turned away from him. "I can't do this. Please, don't ask me to do this."

"You're weak. I understand this is beyond your abilities." He got up from the couch and approached her. "I asked too much from you."

She didn't say anything as he turned and walked out. She couldn't find the words in-between sobs. He had seriously asked her to help him find more girls to kidnap. What was he thinking? Did he seriously think she'd agree to something like that?

As much as she couldn't handle the thought, she couldn't let him take anymore girls either. She had to do something to keep anyone else from missing a child or any other girl from such a traumatic experience. She had told him no but he didn't need her help the first time. Monique took deep breaths to calm herself and dried her tears as best she could before grabbing a piece of paper. There was no telling how he, or anyone for that matter, carried out a kidnapping, but she would have to stop him before he got the chance to do it.

Things were far past protecting now. She had to protect him from himself and with him being so much stronger than herself, it would take some strategy and wit to do so. Patricia wasn't often in control so she didn't have to worry about her. Dennis was cautious but she could see that he wanted to trust her.

The thought came to her mind that Patricia may make him return soon. Monique knew what they were doing and she had refused to help. She was a liability. Patricia didn't much like her anyway so to come back to silence her wouldn't be out of the question.

Monique jotted down a few things she'd need to implement a plan. She didn't like the ideas coming to mind, but she wrote those down too. It wasn't about helping anymore. Lives were at stake.

* * *

AN: This is where the story has been stuck on Wattpad for months. So I can't give any update details or anything. I don't know when I will be able to come back to this but I wanted at least everybody here who doesn't have a Wattpad account to be on the same page as those readers. Thank you all so much for your patience but don't hold your breath for any future updates.


	30. Chapter 30

The thought of ruining all the trust she had been trying so hard to build up was the most painful part of all of it. The fact that all of her ideas had to do with trapping and luring made them feel impossible. Monique was not a fighter by any means so those were the most probable ways to go about stop him. Every minute she spent plotting against Kevin surpassed the last as the worst moment of her life thus far.

You're saving a life, she kept telling herself. Including his. It's good for everyone involved. Monique tried her hardest to keep focused as she went out in search of supplies. A risky idea came to mind, which she humored knowing it could only go one way.

She had a day job, so it had to wait until she had an opportunity to prepare, which took place during her lunch break. It was the first time she took the whole hour, but it was worth it. She was able to focus better afterwards, too.

While at the hardware store, she picked up what she thought might be good materials to build a cage. It would be built. Whether or not it was put to use was yet to be seen. The worse part was arming herself. Pepper spray. Please don't let me have to use this...

A pocket knife and taser were fastened inconspicuously to her person and she dressed as lightly as possible so she could move appropriately should things get into a self defense type of situation. Waiting was out of the question. If he found the new girls then it may as well have been too late.

Monique took some time to mentally prepare herself. An entire day had passed since Dennis' visit. She had to believe they hadn't been able to track down another group of girls and move with the idea that she would be able to act without worrying about anyone but Dennis.

The time came for her to make a move. Monique had armed herself with a few other things she could hide on her person to fend off an attack. The only downside, was that she couldn't get to him by herself. She could sneak into the zoo but she needed a key to get to the maintenance tunnel.

There was no guarantee Dennis would let her back in since she turned him down. But what if they did... Patricia might take this as an opportunity. With no special skills to speak of, she had to at least try. She had to walk right into the lion's den.

"I know it's probably over for us but I would like to talk to you at least one more time." Send.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Please. Just for a few minutes."

"That's not a good idea."

"You're trying to protect me aren't you?"

No response.

"I know it's stupid to ask, but I know it's the last time for real this time. I'm not afraid of Patricia."

"You should be. I won't see you anymore. Good bye."

Monique sighed heavily and tossed her phone aside. Luckily another idea came to mind before she thought of something drastic. The destination was still the zoo, but she had to grab a few more things.

The cold steel of the fence was barely cut off by her gloves as she gripped the bars. Speed was the goal but she was not much of an athlete. Monique was starting to wonder what she was much of at that point. She landed just fine on the other side then took cover behind the wall of a ticket booth.

There had to be guards. Nothing could be that open and not have some kind of night security. She tried to move purposefully, scouting the area as she did so. If there were any guards she hadn't seen them all the way up to the entrance of the tunnel.

She ducked into one of the corners of the restroom and felt about for her entry tools. The door had to be sealed tightly but she had to get in. Her plan involved two things she was not proud of: breaking and entering. Monique hoped dearly that the guards, were there any, were patrolling another side of the zoo.

She thought of the least damaging thing she could. Simply take off the door knob. She brought an assortment of screwdrivers to make sure nothing would stop her. It was fifth times the charm and much trial and error before she could set to work.

Every now and then she stopped to duck away in case a guard was somewhere she couldn't see. Once the doorknob was off she crept inside and hoped whatever invisible guards they had didn't pay too much attention to little details. Now. I just need to find him. After that, comes the hard part.

There wasn't much to search, but Monique had to ready herself every time she entered a room. This was a mutual betrayal as far as she was concerned- she was there to stop him even if it meant causing bodily harm. She could only be so ready for that regardless of whatever reasons she kept telling herself justified her actions.

The anticipation was killing her. If the element of surprise wasn't so precious to her cause, she would have started making noise to draw him to her. Or maybe... Monique ran up the stairs and started knocking on the walls. Just little knocks to draw his attention.

"Who's there?" It was Dennis' stern voice. "Whoever you are, you need to come down here." His foot steps began to ascend.

Monique continued to knock. She gripped the taser at her side. This is it. For those girls. You can do this.

His foot steps stopped. "You shouldn't be down here," he said softly.

Her heart beat hard against her chest as she turned to face him. She slowly slipped her hands behind her back pockets. The taser was tucked into the waist of her jeans. "I'm sorry but, I wanted to try to convince you to try something else. There has to be some other way to handle this."

He shook his head. "You have to leave right now."

"Dennis, I'm not leaving," Monique said. "I just want to talk. We have to find another way."

"There is no other way! Just because it isn't your way doesn't make it wrong."

"And just because someone told you it is the only way doesn't mean it is- Dennis, please. I don't want to see what will happen to you if you do this."

Dennis walked up to her and grabbed her arms. "You have to go. If Patricia -"

"Patricia can't do anything if you don't give her the light," Monique retorted.

She stumbled after him as he pulled her back down the stairs. She took her free hand and touched the taser. Do it now! Don't wait for him to see you. She pulled it out and shoved it into his back. She squeezed her eyes closed but she felt his hand leave her arm and heard him fall. She opened one eye at first. He was unconscious.

Guilty relief washed over her as she looked at him lying on his face. "Great," she sighed. "Now what?"

A/N: It's been a year now since I started and I apologize for just leaving like that. I'm back to finish this story. I had been struggling with coming back to this story just because I have been stuck on it for a long time and I was focusing on other things. Well, rest assured, if you're reading this then it is the end.


	31. Chapter 31

He hadn't moved for at least a minute, a minute wasted as Monique tried to calm herself to take the next viable action. She thought she saw him move so she tased him again just to be sure. It was once again the worst feeling in the world but he didn't move again. "I hope he isn't dead," she groaned as she took off her coat. She tied it around him and pulled him back towards the front where the last girls were held.

She took a coat and some sunglasses from the corner and put them on him. It had begun to rain outside. A cold, blanketing rain. Monique took off her coat and covered Dennis' head with it. She dragged him back outside toward the fence.

"Hey! What are you doing? Stop!"

Monique stopped to face the guard brandishing a flashlight. "I'm sorry about this, sir," she shouted over the rain. "My friend got a little out of control and hoped the fence. He had a little too much to drink."

"Is he the one that broke that door?"

"Yeah, um, he was completely out of it. I tried to talk him down but I had to jump in when he went for the door. I am so sorry about this."

The guard looked less than amused. "Is he alright?"

"Yes, he just passed out, finally. I hate when he gets like this."

"I should call the police but...," he said after a long pause. "Get your friend out of here and make sure it doesn't happen again. I have to file a report but I won't mention any names. Just get out of here."

"Thank you, sir! A-Again, I'm so sorry about this."

The guard opened the door and let them both out to the sidewalk. He helped her get him all the way back to her car parked around the corner from the zoo. Once she was inside she took a second to catch her breath before pulling back out into the street.

It was hard to look at him that way. To look at him from between the bars she had managed to build. YouTube continued to be the most useful internet creation to date. She had his hands and feet cuffed. The anxiety set in once he was contained.

He would be furious when he awoke. If Dennis was the one who woke up first. Did they all wake up at the same time? Monique paced in the kitchen, nervously pulling at her hair. Now was the time if she was going to call someone. Terrence or the police. But neither one would end well.

Surely he would just end up in a hospital, not jail. He had a doctor to vouch for his mental instability. They couldn't kill him...could they? The girls from before were unharmed and there were no new girls, thank goodness. That knowledge alone gave her the strength to move forward with her plan.

They got all the way back to her apartment, but what now? She couldn't keep him there. She picked up her phone. Monique didn't want to be alone with him. She had to call someone.

Her hands shook as she dialed Terrence's number and held her phone to her ear. Her chest tightened with each ring.

*click* Mo'? Everything okay?

She tried to steady her breaths. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you still at work?"

"Yeah but... Are you aure everything's okay?"

"I-I need to see you. I mean...Can you come to my place roght now? I...I don't want to be alone right now."

"Yeah. Yeah, baby I'm on my way."

"Okay."

She hung up and sat back on the couch, feet up and knees pulled in closed to her chin. She grasped her phone tightly in her hand as she watch Kevin's body just lie there. Why am I feeling like the villain? He was kidnapping girls. I kidnapped him but it was to stop him from kidnapping any more girls.

A groan slipped from his lips and Monique stiffened on the couch. He rubbed his head and turned onto his side. He flinched back from the shocking cold of the steel around his wrists.

He worked his way into a sitting position until he could face Monique and she could see that it was not a "he" at all.

"That was very nasty trick you pulled," Patricia said. "Denis trusted you too much-"

"I'm the one who trusted too much! It's my fault for getting involved just because someone was nice to me."

Patricia's expression didn't change a bit. "Are you going to cry now? What are you going to do with us? Turn us in to the police? Kill us? No, no, no. You're not cold enough for that. Even if it was the only way to stop us. You couldn't do it."

Monique's eyes shone with tears that wanted to fall but she wouldn't cry, not now. What was she going to do? I should have just called the police. He doesn't have to be connected to the kidnappings from before. Maybe.

Patricia's expression was less than amused. "You can't keep us here. He is growing impatient. These won't hold him when he comes."

The look in her eyes sent shivers down her spine. "You mean the beast?"

"He will break these restraints and then you will be the first to die."

"You really believe that?"

"Whether I believe it or not it is the truth," she replied.

A knock shook her from her thoughts and she ran to answer it. She threw her arms around Terrence's neck and huged him tightly. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "What's going on Mo'?"

She led him to the couch and sat him down. He stared at the man in the cage. He wiped a hand over his face. "Mo'. What in the he'll is going on here?"

She then led him to the kitchen where she proceeded to replay the events leading up to this insane moment. Monique even told him about the first group of girls. Terrence looked angry at first then shocked. He went through a range of emotions and by the time she finished he was leaning on her countertop. He just kept shaking for a few minutes.

Then he looked at her. "Why didn't you call the cops?"

She shook her head and subsequently shrugged. "I was scared."

"We need to call the police," he said sternly.

"I-I think so too but-"

"No buts, we have to call. The. Police."

Monique nodded. "You're right. No buts. I'll call."

Terrence went back into the living room. Patricia watched him as he watched her with a look of disgust.

"If you have anything to tell Monique then you had better tell her soon." Something unsettling shone in her eyes as she spoke.

Terrence frowned. "I'm not as easily scared as Mo'."

"Oh, you do not have to be afraid of me and I am not trying to scare you. I am giving some very simple advice you would be wise to follow."

Terrence sat on the arm of the couch and folded his arms. "Why is that?"

"The beast is coming."


	32. Chapter 32 Finale!

Monique shakily dialed 911 and tried to calm herself as she waited for someone to pickup on the other end.

In the living room, Terrence was staring down Patricia. Despite whatever he believed, he knew at that moment he was looking at a man's face but he could feel a woman's presence. It was beyond creepy. "Whatever you think you have with Mo' it's over," he said to break the stifling silence. "You aren't gonna be able to hurt anyone else including her."

Patricia just looked on with an expression of pity. "I never much cared for whatever the others for had with that woman. Whatever it was, all of that is irrelevant now. The beast will come and he will remove the impure."

"What are you talking about?" Terrence asked.

Kevin's body folded over as another personality took over. Terrence took tentative steps back as the very bones of his body rearranged and he could see the muscle building on his frame. He ran to the kitchen and grabbed Monique's arm. "Let's go- right now!"

She was too afraid to ask what was happening but she followed him back around to the living room and out the front door. Terrence made sure she locked the door then took her to the elevator. As the doors closed they witnessed the emergence of The Beast through her apartment door. He slammed through the door, sending pieces of wood flying everywhere. Monique hugged Terrence tightly as the doors closed.

"I can't believe you were dealing with that by yourself," he said as he held onto her. "Why?"

"Barry was nice to me," she whispered. "The others were nice to me too. I just wanted to help."

He stroked her head. "I know, but it's gonna be over soon."

Upon reaching the first floor they ran outside and jumped in Terrence's car. He started it up and rolled up the windows. "We'll stay at my place for the night until he's gone."

As he pulled out and into the road, something heavy hit them from above. Monique screamed and covered her head. A hand reached into the window on Monique's side and Terrence sped down the road, switching lanes quickly and rather haphazardly to try shake him off.

"You have to be kidding me! This guy is still hanging on. What the hell is he?"

"I think this is the beast the others were talking about," Monique said. "They were taking the girls for him."

"So, what? Is he after you now because there are no girls?"

"I-I think so."

Sirens whirred behind them as several police cars were suddenly in hot pursuit. In any other circumstance he may have been uneasy with so many cop cars behind him, but it was relieving in their current situation. The sound of straining metal was heard and then screeching tires behind them. Terrence glanced in his rear view mirror to seat what was happening.

"This guy just flipped a police car," he exclaimed. Cars were piling up one after another behind the assaulted vehicle. "This is ridiculous..."

The beast was nowhere to be seen but Terrence's urgency did not go away until they reached his apartment and were both inside, safe and armed. He had a small hand gun with plenty of ammo and knives. "Never thought I would have to use these all at once," he said as he rejoined Monique in his bed room. There was only one way into the room and they had barricaded the window and bathroom door. If they were being honest with themselves it still didn't feel like enough.

Terrence handed Monique a bottle of water. "So there was no sign of this kind of crazy other than the fact that he had multiple personalities?"

Monique shot him a look. "It was stupid, okay, I get it."

"I'm sorry, but, yeah, it was."

"Just so you know, most people with this disorder are not like this. This is completely of the charts."

"I'm sure you did your research," he said. "Do you think he'll be back?"

She shrugged. "I hope not..."

A loud bang shook them from their thoughts and Terrence brandished his gun. "If he comes in here he's not getting past me."

Monique held tightly onto the knife she had. They could hear footsteps ascending his stairs. They were hurried, stomping steps- running really. Then the door shook violently as the beast threw himself against it. Once, twice. He punched through it and tore the wooden door apart. Terrence opened fire and the bullets hit their mark. He stopped for a moment, leaned against the door then suddenly ran in, tackling Terrence and grabbing his face.

"No! Stop! You're killing him!" Monique screamed.

But he wouldn't stop and Terrence hand released the gun. Monique took her chance and used her shaking hands and plunged the knife into his back. He let out a pained roar and released Terrence. "Why are you making me do this?" she screamed. "I just wanted to help you! Look what you've made me have to do, Kevin. Dennis! Barry!"

She was crying as she felled back away from him as he crawled towards her, his breaths heavy and pained. He grabbed her by the throat and she plunged another knife into his arm. "I wanted to help you."

He looked angrily into her face stained with tears. His expression softened and she could see Dennis there now. A tear fell from the corner of his eye as he slowly released her and hugged himself. Blood stained the sheets and colored his torso crimson. His breathing was even more ragged. "I...I didn't...I didn't want it to happen like this..." He looked up at her. "I told you to stay away."

"I'm sorry. If you..." She took a deep breath but it did little to calm her. "If you're in control then you need to get away from here. You have to go because you will be in trouble when Terrence wakes up. I have to call an ambulance."

"Barry...says he's...sorry," Dennis said through gritted teeth.

"So am I."

Monique couldn't let him go like that. She washed him off as quickly as she could and put him in one of Terrence's casual shirts then helped him to the door. "Promise me you won't get into anymore trouble like this, Dennis."

"I promise."

He hobbled off into the night and she hurried back to Terrence's side.

Sitting in the emergency room with Terrence gave her a lot of time to think. Monique sat in a chair beside Terrence's hospital bed. The events of the prior night were still fresh in her mind. Both her and Terrence were checked out and the police were contacted. They had searched his house and of course they found no one but they had plenty of DNA evidence since he had bled all over the sheets. There had never been a more exhausting night.

She learned her lesson nonetheless. You can't everyone and not everyone wants to be helped.

A/N: And there we have it. I hope it was a satisfying ending for those of you who have been reading this since the beginning when i was actually updating. For those who recently picked up this story thanks for the reviews and I hope this ending flows well into the previous pace and chapters.

Thanks for reading!


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